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1 






AYALA SENDING BOAT AHEAD IN BAY OF SAN FRANCISCO 


Western Series of Readers. 

Edited by Harr Wagner 


Tales of OiscovervJ 

ON THE 

Pacific Slope. 


BY 

Margaret Graham Hood, 

Director of Training School in Arizona Normal. ' 


VOLUME 4. 


SAN FRANCISCO. 

THE WHITAKER & RAY COMPANY. 
(Incorporated.) 

1898 . 






Copyright, 1898, 

BY 

Margaret Graham Hood. 



TW'P COPIES RECEIVED. 


Ho"! 

OiKKQK 


2n 


^ o 


1898 


TO MY DEAR MOTHER: 


** amid all the things that avail not, 

But pass as the foam of the sea, 

Is thy love for me that shall fail not. 

And my love for thee/' 

EDWARD MASLIN HULME. 








PREFACE, 


We remember and are interested in that which has some 
connection with our own precious selves, that we have 
seen, heard, studied, loved or hated. Let the merest ac- 
quaintance over the way go to Klondyke, and Klondyke 
seems to become a part of our conscious world. This is 
the key to most of our historical interest. Japan was once 
but a curiosity for the Occident ; now it is a factor to 
reckon with, and its history becomes correspondingly inter- 
esting. So the history of our Pacific Coast has gained im- 
mensely in interest as we realize more and more that it is 
destined to be one of the most important centers for the 
life of our people. Everywhere the rising interest appears; 
in solid contributions like Hittell’s California ; in romances 
like Ramona, in songs like Joaquin Miller’s. Not only is it 
felt in the strong self-consciousness of the Coast itself ; 
the Ethnological Bureau has just published the full texts of 
the Coronado expedition ; Dr. Elliott Coues has just edited 
the third of a most important series of texts for the history 
of the Northwest ; and the rising prices of Calif ornimia in 
New York and London are significant. 

Aside from the growing personal connections which knit 
our history closer and closer to the consciousness of the 
world, it is our unique fortune on this Coast to possess a his- 
tory full of novelty and romance. Our historic forbears have 
the glamour of the theater upon them ; they are Spanish 


VI 


PREFACE. 


knights and captains and friars of orders gray, adventurers 
to China and Japan, Canadian voyageurs, wild Cossacks of 
the northern seas. So it comes about that we add to the 
historic heritage of the stanch virtues of our Anglo-Saxon 
stock another treasure, rich in picturesque, cosmopolite 
variety. 

So a book like this, which clips into the golden hoard 
and brings its beauty to the sight and touch of our chil- 
dren, deserves gratitude and attention, for it bringsan en- 
dowment to their best and mo.st enduring life. It widens 
their personality by a store of new experiences, it strength- 
ens their love of home and country by a new circle of attach- 
ments, and will surround their everyday life with the finer 
air of poetry. 


London, 1897. 


MARY SHELDON BARNES. 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Ship Sailing Into Bay of San Francisco . Frontispiece 

PAGE. 

The Story of Tejos lo 

The Wanderings of Cabeza de Vaca . . . .16 
Fray Marcos Plants Cross on Hile-top ... 38 

Shouting “Santiago” as he Rode . . . .46 

The Indians Watched Him 50 

The Indians Pulling the Boat up the River . 54 

Alarcon and the Strange Indian .... 64 

Discovery of Monterey Bay by Sebastian Viscaino . 74 
Holding Mass on Shore June 3, 1770 . . . .90 

Cabrillo Landing at San Diego Bay ... 94 

Death of Cabrillo on the Isle of San Miguel . 98 

PORTOLA Discovers Bay From Top of Hill . . 102 

Ayala Sending Boat Ahead in Bay of San Francisco 106 
The Ships Being Overhauled in the straits of 

Juan de Fuca^ no 

Vancouver Trading With Indians . . . .116 

Captain Cook Landing on the Sandwich Islands . 130 
The Indian Making Captain Cook Pay for His 

Grass 140 

McKenzie Starts on Voyage ..... 144 

Captain Gray’s Fight With Indians . . . .164 

Captain Gray Entering the Columbia . . .168 


7 






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TABLE OF CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

I. The Seven Cities That Were Not . .it 

1. The Story of Tejos. 

2. The Laud of the Seven Cities. 

3. The Wanderings of Cabeza de Vaca. 

4. The Journey of Fray Marcos. 

5. The Disappointment of Coronado. 

II. AEAR90N AND The Colorado River . . .sr 

1. Alar9on Discovers the Colorado River. 

2. Alar5on Sails up the Colorado. 

3. Alarcon and the Strange Indian; 

III. The Losing and Finding of The Bay of 


Monterey 75 

IV. The Story of San Diego Bay . . . .93 

V. The Story of San Francisco Bay . . .101 

VI. Vancouver in The Northwest . . . 109 


VII. Captain Cook AND the Northwest Passage . 125 

1. The Choice of Captain Cook. 

2. The Discovery of The Sandwich Islands. 

3. Captain Cook on the Northwest Coast. 

VIII. Alexander McKenzie and His Birch Canoe . 145 

IX. The Story of Captain Gray . . . 159 

1. The Plan of the Merchants. 

2. Murderer’s Harbor. 

3. Trading. 

4. To Nootka Again. 

5. The Great Long River 


9 



THE STORY OF TEJOS. 








THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT* 


THE STORY OF TEJOS. 



N the year 1530, when Nuno de Guz- 
man was Governor of New Spain, he 
had an Indian slave of whom he was 
very fond and who was likewise fond 
of his master. He was a good ser- 
vant and different in many ways from all 
the other slaves in the palace, and it often 
pleased Nuno de Guzman to talk with him. 

“Tejos,” said de Guz- 
man to him one day, “ tell 
me of your home when 
you were a boy, and tell 
me of your father and 
mother.” 

Then Tejos turned 
away from his master and 
stood for a long time silent. 


Reference Topics. 

Locate : 

New Spain. 
Mexico. 

Culiacau. 

Castile. 

Florida. 

Arizona. 

Tucson. 

Gila River. 

Zuni. 

Kansas. 

Wliat mountains did 
de Guzman come to ? 
What desert? Trace 
Coronado’s route. 


11 


IZ 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


“ Master/’ he said at last, “ when Tejos was 
a boy he lived not in this land, nor was he a 
slave. His home was in a land far, far to the 
northward. My lord, it was a great land. 
Beyond the home of my father there was yet 
another country greater still. In that farther 
land were seven great cities, and even the 
smallest of them was as great as this city of 
Mexico. So rich were the people of those 
cities that they made arrow heads of emeralds, 
and scraped the sweat from their bodies with 
scrapers made of gold, and put precious stones 
over their doors. Their houses were wide and 
high. My father carried to these people the 
feathers that they wore upon their heads, and 
in return they gave him gold and turquoise 
and emerald. My father took Tejos with him 
twice, my lord, when he journeyed with feathers 
to those cities, and though Tejos was then but 
a small boy, he still remembers the long streets 
where were only the stores of jewelers who 
sold the precious stones and ' made them 
into ornaments for the people.” 

“And where,” asked Nuno de Guzman 
breathlessly, “where is this land?” 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 1 3 


It is far away from here, my lord,’’ an- 
swered Tej os, sadly. “Forty days you must 
journey to reach it, and the land through 
which you must travel is a desert lying 
between two seas, and there is neither water 
nor food to be had.” 

Scarcely waiting to sleep, de Guzman began 
to gather a force to march in search of this 
wonderful land. Far and wide the story 
spread and on all sides the talk was of 


THE LAND OF THE SEVEN CITIES. 



^ITH four hundred Spaniards 
and twenty thousand Indians, 
de Guzman marched from Mex- 
ico, and the people waited each 
day to hear that he had con- 
quered a great empire in the north. 

As he went, rumors of the Seven Cities 
kept coming to him, and his men were often 
so excited he conld scarcely get them to sleep 
enough. For days they pressed eagerly for- 
ward, hoping each day to find the Seven 
Cities at hand, but instead of this, the coun- 


14 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

try each day grew more desolate, the moun- 
tains grew steeper, and the roads harder to 
find, while the Seven Cities, instead of coming 
nearer, were always farther and farther to 
the north. 

Then the Indians began to desert, and the 
Spaniards to complain. “ We have been de- 
ceived,” they said, “ and we shall all die in this 
bleak land. Let us return to Mexico.” 

For awhile Nnno de Guzman cheered them 
by holding ever before them the reward that 
awaited them, but at last he, too, grew dis- 
couraged and afraid; they all turned about 
and marched sadly back to Mexico. 

“We will go back now,” said Nuho de 
Guzman, “but some day I will have the right 
sort of an army and I will come again. 
Tejos himself shall lead me and I will yet 
find and conquer those Seven Cities.” 

But when he returned to Mexico Tejos was 
dead, and the story of Nuno de Guzman’s 
misfortunes discouraged others, so for six 
years no one went to seek the Seven Cities. 
Then a strange thing happened. 




THE WANDERINGS OF CABEZA DE VACA. 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 


17 


THE WANDERINGS OF CABEZA DE VACA. 



NTO the town of Culiacan there one 
day came wandering four strange 
men. They were bare-footed and 
almost naked. The little clothing 
they had on was made of skins and 
hung in rags about them. Their hair hung 
in a tangled mass upon their shoulders and 
their beards reached almost to their knees. 

They fell at the feet of the first Spaniard 
they met crying “Thank God! Thank God 1 
At last! At last!” Then they seized his 
hands and kissed them, kissed each other, 
and danced about clapping their hands and 
shouting for joy. 

“ They are madmen,” said the people who 
gathered around to look at them. “ What shall 
we do with them ? ” 

“ No, no,” cried the oldest of the strangers, 
“No, no! You do not understand. We are 
poor wanderers who have been lost for years 
among the Indians. We have been slaves; 
our companions have died, but at last we have 
escaped and now, for the first time, we see 
Christians and Spaniards and our joy over- 


1 8 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

comes US. Can you wonder at it, dear friends ? 

“ Lost among the Indians ! ” murmured the 
people in astonishment. “Made slaves by the 
Indians! Terrible! What can it mean?” 

There is something very strange about 
it,” said one. 

“ Let us take them before our Capitan,” 
said another, and they took them at once to 
the Capitan. 

“ Who are you ? ” he asked rudely, looking 
with disgust at their dirt and rags. 

“I am Cabeza de Vaca,” said the oldest 
man. “ I am a noble of Castile who came 
with Narvaez to conquer Florida. The fleet 
was wrecked and all were lost save these three 
companions and me. We have been all these 
years since among the Indians.” 

“ I do not believe a word of it,” said the 
Capitan. “ There is something strange about 
it. These men may be criminals. Put them 
into prison until we find out.” 

For three months they lay in the prison. 
Then they were sent for by the Alcaide Mel- 
chior Diaz. He received them with all kind- 
ness and to him they were allowed to tell their 
story. 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 1 9 

“ Is it true,” he said to the oldest man, 
that you are Cabeza de Vaca of Castile ? ” 

“ It is true,” answered Cabeza de Vaca. 
“ Ten years ago I sailed with Narvaez to the 
Florida coast to take part in his great expe- 
dition, but, alas, all our ships were wrecked 
and only a few of us escaped to the mainland. 
There most of those who did escape died, and 
four, three Spaniards and a negro, have wan- 
dered ever since among the Indians. We 
wept for joy at sight of our own people when 
we reached your town, but they have treated 
us worse than did the Indians.” 

‘‘ Do not think of that now,” said kind 
Melchior Diaz, “It was a mistake; you shall 
now be treated with all kindness that is your 
due. Tell me your story.” 

Then Cabeza de Vaca began the story of 
his wanderings : 

“After Narvaez and the ships were lost,” 
said he, “ we escaped to the mainland and were 
taken captive by the Indians. They were a 
poor, starved people who lived on roots and 
berries, and whatever they could get, and who 
often went for days without a mouthful. I 


20 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


do not know how many years they held us as 
slaves, but it was for many years and our 
sufferings were great. 

“ We tried always to get to the north, and 
little by little we got further westward and 
northward. 

“ At last we escaped from those Indians w^ho 
held us as slaves and fell in with others fur- 
ther west who had never seen a white man. 
We had with us a rattle such as is used by 
their medicine men, and this, with our beards, 
made them think we were from heaven. They 
fell on their faces before us and gave us all 
that they had. 

“ We told these people we wished to go to 
where the sun sets, and they said, ‘No, you 
cannot go there. The people are too far 
away.’ 

“ ‘ It makes no difference,’ I said, ‘ you must 
still lead us there.’ 

“ We saw they were in great fear but at last 
they sent off two of their women to see if they 
could find the other people and tell them of 
our coming. In five days they came back. 
‘They have found no people,’ said the In- 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 


21 


dians to us. ‘ Then,’ said I, ‘ lead us to the 
northward,’ and again they said: 

“ ‘ There are no people there. Neither is 
there food nor water.’ 

“At this I became offended and went apart 
from them, and at night went away by myself 
to sleep. But they came at once where I was 
and remained all night without sleep. They 
talked to me in great fear, telling me how 
great was their fright, begging us to be no 
longer angry, and they said they would lead 
us whatsoever way we wished to go, though 
they knew they should die on the way. 

“We still pretended to be angry lest their 
fright should leave them, and while we were 
thus pretending a remarkable thing happened : 
The very next day many of them became ill 
and eight men died. They believed we had 
caused their death by willing it, and it 
seemed as if they must all die of fear. 

“ In truth, it caused us so much pain to see 
them suffer that it could not be greater, and 
we prayed to God, our Lord, to relieve them, 
and they soon got better. 

“ News of our strange power spread through 


22 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


the land, and they trembled at our coming. 
Sometimes they would come to meet us, and 
bring all they owned and offer it to us. Or, 
again, when they heard we were coming, they 
would all go into their houses and pile all 
their goods in a heap in the middle of the 
floor for us, and then sit down, with their 
faces to the wall, their heads bowed, and their 
hair drawn over their eyes. Thus they 
waited until we came and spoke to them. 
Then they gave us whatever we would take 
from them. 

“ Wherever we went, they brought their sick 
to us and begged us to cure them. We always 
examined them carefully, and treated them as 
best we knew how, and prayed earnestly to 
God to help us, and they nearly always got 
well. Whenever a sick man got well, he not 
only gave us all that he had, but all his 
friends did likewise. 

“ As we pressed westward and northward we 
came all the time to finer Indians who had 
more wealth and better homes than those 
further East. 

“At last we came to a land of plenty. The 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT, 23 

people lived in houses and had beans, pump- 
kins, and calabashes for food and covered 
themselves with blankets made of hides. They 
were the finest looking and strongest people 
we had seen and intelligent beyond any of the 
others. They had nothing they did not give to 
us. They begged us to pray for rain and told 
us that for two years not a drop had fallen. 
When we asked where they had got their food, 
they told us from the land of the maize. Then 
I bade them tell me of this land of the maize, 
and they told that beyond them was a land of 
many people and large houses, and maize 
grew all over the land ; — that the people of 
that land were wealthy and wore beautiful 
plumes and feathers of parrots ; and used 
precious stones for arrow heads and to 
decorate their houses. And they brought to 
me five beautiful emeralds cut into arrow 
heads, and many fine turquoises and beads 
made of coral such as come from the South 
Seas. When I asked whence they got these 
stones, they pointed to some lofty moun- 
tains that stand toward the north and told us 
that from there came the precious stones, and 


24 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

that near those mountains were' large cities. 
They said that in those cities the houses 
were so large that there were sometimes 
three and four lofts one above the other.” 

“And, did you not go to those cities ? ” 
asked Melchior Diaz, eagerly. 

“No,” answered Cabeza de Vaca. “I did 
not go because I heard that toward the sunset 
were other men of my kind, and I hurried 
westward, hoping to meet them. Therefore, I 
did not go to the land of the cities. I longed 
once more to look upon the face of a 
Spaniard.” 

“You have suffered much,” said Melchior 
Diaz, “ but do not think of it, and now rest.” 

Then Melchior Diaz sent off a messenger to 
Mexico to carry a letter to the Viceroy de 
Mendoza, telling him of Cabeza de Vaca and 
his strange tale. 

Forthwith the messenger returned with a 
letter commanding Cabeza de Vaca and his 
companions to come at once to Mexico, and 
appear before the Viceroy. 

To Mexico they went, and again Cabeza told 
the strange story of their wanderings. 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 25 

“ It is a wonderful story,” said the Viceroy 
when he had finished, ‘‘and you certainly 
deserve to spend the rest of your life in ease. 
Say the word, and I, myself, will send you 
home to Spain.” 

Cabeza de Vaca almost wept for joy at these 
words. 

“ Gladly will I go, dear friend. Gladly will 
I go, for I am weary of wandering, and would 
once more see my own country.” 

So Cabeza de Vaca and two of his compan- 
ions sailed off to Spain, and the Viceroy de 
Mendoza thought much of the wonderful cities 
far to the northward. 


THE JOURNEY OF FRAY MARCOS. 


^HE story of Cabeza de Vaca set 
all New Spain talking once more 
of the Seven Cities. 

“ Of course,” said the people, as 
they talked, “ of course they are 
the same seven cities Nuno de Guzman learned 
of from Tejos, the Indian. He did not get 
the right directions so he failed to reach them. 



26 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS, 


But now we know they are there,” and many 
were eager to set out at once. 

But the Viceroy de Mendoza was a quiet 
and careful statesman. 

“ There have been many lives lost already,” 
he said, “ and it will be better not to be in too 
great a hurry. I believe these are the seven 
cities sought for by Nuno de Guzman, but I 
shall not send an army until I am sure.” 

Then he thought of a monk called Fray 
Marcos of Niza, who had been much among 
the Indians of the north and he sent for him 
to come at once to Mexico, 

Fray Marcos came and the Viceroy de Men- 
doza told him the story of Cabeza de Vaca. 

“ Now, Fray Marcos,” said the Viceroy, 
after finishing the story, “ if we should send an 
army, these Indians would surely make war 
upon us and both for them and for us there 
would be many lives lost. You understand 
them and it might be that they would let you 
come among them and learn what we desire. 
Perhaps there lies to the northward as great a 
nation as Peru or Mexico. It must be taken 
for the church and the crown. Will you not 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 2/ 

be the one to carry the message of the cross 
and to take possession of the country for the 
King of Spain ? ” 

I will,’’ said Fray Marcos, eagerly. 

Very well,” said Mendoza, smiling. “ The 
negro Stephen who was with Cabeza de Vaca 
is here and he shall be your guide. 

“ Remember that this expedition is to be 
undertaken more to spread our knowledge of 
God than for great wealth. Therefore, remeni' 
ber that the natives are to be treated with the 
utmost kindness, and my displeasure will fall 
heavy upon whomsoever shall offend them. 
Say to them that the Emperor is very angry 
at those Christians who have been unkind to 
them, and that never again shall the}^ be en- 
slaved or taken from their home. . 

‘‘ Take special note of their number, and of 
their manner of life, and whether they are at 
peace or at war among themselves. Notice 
the nature of the country, the fertility of the 
soil, and the character of its products. I/carn 
what wild animals there are there, and find 
out if there are any rivers great or small. 
Search for precious stones and metals and if 


28 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


possible, bring back specimens of them. Also 
make careful inquiry if the natives have any 
knowledge of a neighboring sea. 

“ If you shall succeed in reaching the south- 
ern sea, write out au account of all your dis- 
coveries and bury it at the foot of the tallest tree 
and then mark the tree with a cross. Do the 
same at the mouth of all rivers, and those who 
are sent after you will be on the lookout for such 
-a sign. Take enough Indians with you so 
that you can send some of them back from 
time to time to bring to us reports of the route 
you have taken and how you are treated by 
the Indians you meet. If you shall come to 
any great city do not send back word but come 
yourself and tell me about it. And lastly, 
although all the world belongs to the Emperor, 
be sure and plant the cross in those new lands 
and take possession of them in the name of 
the Spanish Crown, and never forget that 
your life is of great value to your church and 
your country, and do not risk it needlessly. 
Now, go. Make all your plans and set out as 
soon as may be.” 

Fray Marcos hastened to make his plans 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NQT. 29 

and on the 7th of March, 1539, set out from 
Culiacan with the negro Stephen and a few 
faithful Indians. 

Several months went by ; then on the end 
of September, 1539, a traveler in a monk’s 
gown came walking alone into Culiacan. 

“ It is Fray Marcos ! ” cried the people. 
‘‘It is Fray Marcos who went to search for 
the Seven Cities ! ” “ Did you find them, Fray 

Marcos ? ” “ Where is Stephen, the negro ? ’’ 

“ Are the Seven Cities full of wealth ? ” 

But Fray Marcos would not answer. 

“ I have much to tell,” he said to them, 
“ but I will tell it only to the Lord de Men- 
doza himself.” 

To the Lord de Mendoza he told a story 
even more wonderful than the story of Tejos, 
the Indian, or that of Cabeza de Vaca. 

“ All the way,” he said, “ I found great 
entertainment, for after I told the Indians 
they were not to be enslaved, they could not 
do enough to show their love for me. I went 
where the Holy Ghost did lead me. The 
Indians guided me from place to place and 
some went ahead to tell others that I was com- 


30 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

ing. Everywhere they came to meet me 
and give me welcome. They had food ready 
for me; and where there were no houses, they 
built bowers of trees and flowers that I might 
rest safe from the sun. 

“ I saw naught that was worthy of notice 
until there came to me some Indians from an 
island off on the coast, and these wore about 
their necks great shells that were of mother of 
pearl. To these I showed the pearls which I 
carried with me for show, and they told me 
that in their islands there were great stores of 
such, and that there were thirty islands. 

“ And then I passed through a desert of four 
days’ journey and there went with me the 
Indians from islands and from the mountains 
I had passed. At the end of this desert 
I found other Indians who marveled much to 
see me because they had not before seen a 
white man. They gave me great stores of 
food and sought to touch my garments, and 
called me Hayota^ which in their language 
means a man come from heaven. 

As best I could, I told to all these Indians 
of our Lord God in Heaven, and of our great 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 31 

Emperor over the sea. Then I asked them if 
they knew of any great kingdom thereabout 
or of any great cities. 

And they told me that further on were high 
mountains, and at the foot of those mountains 
was a large and mighty plain on which were 
many great towns and people clad in cotton. 
Then I showed them metals that I carried 
with me and said to them, ‘ Have the people 
of those cities any of these ? ’ And they took 
the gold metal from my hand and said : ‘ Of 
this do the people of those cities make the 
vessels from which they eat, and also do they 
make of it thin plates to scrape the sweat 
from their bodies and the walls of their temples 
are covered therewith.’ 

“ Then I asked concerning the precious 
stones known to the people of the cities, and 
the Indians answered that they had round 
green stones that they prized much and wore 
hanging from their noses and ears. 

‘‘ The Indians offered to take me to the cities, 
but because it was a long journey from the 
sea, and your Lordship had commanded me 
to keep close to the coast, I did not go. 


32 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

“ It was now Passion Sunday and I felt 
inclined to tarry among the people I was with. 
I did SO, but I sent on ahead of me the negro 
Stephen. 

“ I told him to go to the northward fifty or 
three score leagues, and to take with him 
Indians of whom he should send back from 
time to time messengers bearing me news of 
all that he learned. 

‘‘ We agreed that if it were the mean country 
of which he learned, he should send me a 
cross no longer than my hand ; but if it were 
a great country, he should send me a cross 
the length of two hands; and if it were a 
country greater and richer than New Spain, 
he should send a great cross. 

“ Stephen went from me Passion vSunday, 
after dinner, and within four days there came 
to me messengers bearing a cross as high as 
a man. He sent me also word that I should 
at once come after him for he had news of 
a mighty province; that he had with him 
certain Indians who had been to that province, 
and one of them he sent to me. 

“The Indian whom Stephen had sent told 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 33 

me it was thirty days^ journey beyond the 
town where Stephen was, to the first city of 
the province, which is called Cibola. He 
says there are seven great cities in this 
province all under one Lord. The houses he 
said, were made of stone and the smallest of 
them were of two lofts, one above the other; 
and the house of the lord of the province 
was four lofts and wide and long. He said, 
too, that the gates of the finest houses were 
cunningly wrought with turquoises, whereof 
they had plenty. 

“The same day that Stephen’s messenger 
came to me there came also another Indian 
from the sea coast, and he told again of the 
many islands in the sea and of people who 
have many pearls and much gold. 

“ And that same day there came to me three 
Indians with their faces and breasts and arms 
painted. 

“ They came they said from a province toward 
the east that bordered upon that of the seven 
cities. They had heard of me and wished to 
see me. They told me of the seven cities of 
Cibola, the people, and the houses in the 


34 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


same manner that Stephen had sent me 
word. I sent back the Indians who had 
come from the islands on the sea coast and 
iurried on after Stephen. 

Each day messengers came to me from 
Stephen all carrying large crosses and all 
telling of Cibola. 

‘‘At last came Indian messengers who told 
me of three other kingdoms called Marata, 
Acus and Tonteac. They said that the 
people of those provinces dressed even as the 
people of Cibola with gowns of cotton that 
hang to their feet, and they bind them with 
girdles of turquoises. And they told me much 
more to make me know that these provinces 
are in all ways as great as Cibola. 

“ I traveled on for days stopping to know the 
people among whom I passed and being always 
received by them with all tenderness. 

“ They brought me their sick that I might 
heal them and sought always to touch my 
garments. They gave to me cowhides so well 
tanned that I could not well believe them to 
have been dressed by savage people. 

“As I went on I came to great crosses set up 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 35 

in the ground by Stephen to let me know that 
the good news of the country increased. I 
came to a pleasant town at last where indeed 
were people clad in cotton, both men and 
women, and they wore turquoises in their 
noses and ears. The lord of the village came 
with his brethren to greet me, and they were 
well dressed in robes of cotton and hides and 
wore collars of turquoises about their necks. 

‘‘ It was a fair country, better than any I had 
yet seen, so I set up two great crosses and 
took possession of it for His Majesty, the 
Emperor. They offered me gifts of all they 
had but I took not one thing save food. 

‘‘ I came now to a desert and went into it, and 
I found that the Indians had gone on ahead of 
me and built bowers beneath which I ate and 
slept, and in this manner I traveled for four 
days. 

“ Then I entered a valley where were many 
people; men and women came to meet me 
with food. All of them had turquoises hang- 
ing from their noses and ears and collars of 
turquoises three or four times double about 
their necks. 


36 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

“ Here they knew of Cibola as much as we in 
New Spain know of Mexico and could answer 
all I wished to ask of the people. 

“As I went on I met more and more people^ 
passed through a fine country where is much 
grass and water. The people were in all ways 
civil and kind and told me about Cibola and 
Acus, and Tonteac and Marata and Quivira. 
Here I saw a thousand oxhides all nicely 
dressed and chains of turquoise, and they told 
me they all came from Cibola. 

“And now I had two deserts to cross and 
was fifteen days’ journey from Cibola. 

“I entered the desert, and many Indians went 
with me, and others went on ahead to make 
ready for me ; and each day there came word 
from Stephen, telling me all was true and to 
hurry after him. 

“ For twelve days I journeyed thus, and then 
there came running to meet us an Indian in 
great fright — his body covered with sweat and 
dust and his face showing the greatest sad- 
ness. 

“ He told us that the day before, Stephen had 
reached Cibola, and had sent messengers into- 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 37 

the city with presents for its lord, and to let 
him know they came in peace. 

“ But the lord of the city fell into a great 
rage, and dashed the presents of Stephen to 
the ground. In his fury he drove the messen- 
gers out of the city, and told them that if they 
again appeared they would surely be killed, as 
would also Stephen, if he dare to come near. 

“ The messengers hurried to Stephen and 
told him what had happened, but he was in no 
wise afraid ; he answered he should go, never- 
theless, and bade the Indians fear not, but to 
come with him. 

“ They went on, but as they were about to 
enter the city, many of its people met them 
and seized them and cast them into a great 
house that stood just outside. They took 
from them all that they had, and left them all 
night without food or drink. The next morn- 
ing Stephen and his Indians tried to escape, 
but they were scarce outside their prison when 
the people of the city set upon them, and 
Stephen and all the Indians, except the mes- 
senger and one other, were killed. These two 
had been struck down and left for dead, but 



FRAY MARCOS PLANTS CROSS ON HILL-TOP. 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 39 

were only stunned. They had lain under the 
dead bodies of the others until the angry peo- 
ple had gone back into the city. Then they 
had crept away. 

“ My Lord de Mendoza, so great was my grief 
at this terrible news that it seemed for a 
moment I must indeed die, but when I saw all 
my Indians begin to weep and lament, I knew 
I must not give way. 

“ I straightway gave to them many of tlie 
presents I had intended for the people of 
Cibola, and then I resolved that though I 
might not enter the city I would still look 
upon it, and I told them I would neverthe- 
less go on. They begged me not to go, but 
when they saw I was firm two of them agreed 
to go with me. So we left the others to await 
our return and journeyed forwards. We trav- 
eled one day and then we came to a round hill. 
This I climbed, and on looking down saw at 
its foot the city of Cibola. It was a fair city, 
my lord. The houses were as the Indians 
told me, of two and three and four stories and 
built of stone. The people were somewhat 
white and dressed in white garments. Greatly 


40 


WESTERN SERIES OE READERS. 


was I tempted to risk my life and go thither, 
but knowing that if I were killed all knowl- 
edge of the country would be lost, I gave it 
up and contented myself with planting a cross 
upon the hill-top in token that I took posses- 
sion for the crown of Spain.” 

“You have done well, Fray Marcos,” cried 
Mendoza, “ and now it is time to send an 
army.” 


THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF CORONADO. 



^HEN Mendoza wanted to send 
an army, the first person he 
thought of was a brave soldier 
and a fine nobleman named 
Francisco de Coronado, who sat 
by his side, listening eagerly. 

Coronado knew all about the expedition of 
Nuno de Guzman, and had heard the story of 
Cabeza de Vaca. Also, he had talked with 
Mendoza before the Viceroy had sent Fray 
Marcos on his journey, and had said he would 
be willing to spend a fortune in fitting out an 
army to take the Seven Cities. 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 4 1 

So Mendoza turned to Coronado and said : 
“ Is it still your wish, my noble friend, to lead 
an army against this kingdom of Cibola? ’’ 

“ It is,’’ said Coronado. 

“Well then, make ready at once, and I will 
help you in every way that I can,” said the 
Viceroy. 

The news spread rapidly and again all New 
Spain was talking of the Seven Cities. In 
a short time three hundred Spaniards and 
eight hundred Indians had enlisted, and so 
many gentlemen of noble birth had offered 
to go that the Viceroy was much embarrassed 
in choosing officers, for, of course, he must 
take the noblest gentlemen and there were 
too many ! 

A fine sight they were — those cavaliers of 
Spain — in their glittering armor, mounted on 
prancing horses, their lances gleaming in the 
sunlight and their banners flying. Out of 
Compostella they marched in the gayest 
spirits, thinking of the loads of gold and 
jewels they would bring back with them. 

But it was very different when they reached 
the desert and the mountains. They did not 


42 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


know how to bear the fatigue of such a jour- 
ney, nor how to care for their horses and 
cattle and sheep. The animals died in num- 
bers, and the courage of the soldiers weakened 
rapidly as they grew weary. 

The soldiers had come with the thought of 
conquest, so they did not treat the Indians 
they met with so kindly as Fray Marcos had, 
and, of course, the Indians did not like them 
very well, and in a little while there began to 
be trouble. 

At last they came to a narrow pass in the 
mountains. 

“ I am afraid the Indians will try to keep 
us from passing,” said Coronado to the Mas- 
ter of the Field “ Go you with a company 
of soldiers and guard that pass until all the 
army come up. Then we will go through.” 

The Master of the Field took his company 
and stood guard at the pass. But that night 
while all but the sentries were asleep the 
Indians crept down upon them and the sleep- 
ing camp was roused by a shower of stones 
and arrows and the wild yells of the Indians. 

But the men had lain down with their guns 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 43 

beside them so they were read}^ and they 
sprang up and began fighting bravely. For a 
while the battle raged hotly, the Spaniards 
firing their guns and the Indians replying with 
stones and arrows. But when the Indians 
saw some of their number falling dead they 
were frightened and fled away in the darkness 
and the Spaniards held the pass. 

After that the Spaniards had little peace, 
but, nevertheless, Coronado managed to keep 
up their courage. On they went, up 
through that country we now call Arizona, over 
almost the same road that Fray Marcos had 
traveled. They paused where is now the 
village of Tucson, and then marching north- 
eastward, crossed the Gila River and moved on 
toward Cibola. At last, where to-day stands 
the towns of Zuni, they reached the first city 
of the kingdom, whose fame had so long 
filled with golden dreams the minds of the 
Spaniards. But instead of the great, fine 
glittering city they had expected they saw 
only a village of a few hundred houses. 

The hearts of the Spaniards sunk as they 
gazed upon it. Coronado called three of his 


44 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


men and said to them, “ Go into the city and 
say to the people that we are not enemies, but 
have come in the name of the Emperor, our 
Lord, to defend them and to join with them in 
friendship.” 

The messengers went into the city and de- 
livered Coronado’s message, but the people of 
Cibola received it with scorn. 

“ We did not ask you to come,” they replied, 
‘‘and your lord had no right to send you. 
This is our land and we can defend it. Go 
back to your lord and to your own land, for if 
you stay here you shall not one of you live.” 

The messengers turned to go back to Coro- 
nado, and even as they went the people of 
Cibola began firing arrows at them. 

Coronado got his men quickly together and 
gave the command to attack. The people of 
Cibola were gathered upon the walls of their 
city and rained down arrows and stones upon 
the Spaniards as they came. The Spaniards 
were many of them so weary from their long 
journey they had not strength enough left to 
pull a cross bow. Indeed, for a time it seemed 
they must be beaten, so fiercely did the Indians 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 45 

battle against them. The glittering armor of 
Coronado and the earnestness with which he 
cheered on his men, told the Indians that he 
was the leader of the Spaniards and they tried 
particularly to kill him. Twice they felled 
him to the ground, and once he must surely 
have been killed had not a brave knight stood 
across his body and guarded him from the rain 
of stones until he recovered. He would not 
give up. Weak from the blows he had re- 
ceived, aching in every part, and with an arrow 
sticking in his foot, he led the last charge, 
shouting “ Santiago ” as he rode. 

“ Santiago,” echoed his soldiers as they fol- 
lowed him straight into the town. The Indians 
fled as the Spaniards entered and the battle 
was over. 

The Spaniards almost wept with rage and 
despair as they looked about them. The 
houses, it is true, were made of stone and were 
large as had been said, but there were no jew- 
eled gates, no vessels of gold and silver, no 
fine city, no stories of wealth to carry back to 
Spain. 

So great was Coronado’s despair that he fell 



SHOUTING “SANTIAGO" AS HE RODE. 


THE SEVEN CITIES THAT WERE NOT. 47 

ill almost unto death. He could not bear to 
give up. It seemed he must find those seven 
wonderful cities. As soon as he was able he 
sent out parties in all directions to see what 
could be found. 

For almost two years they searched. When- 
ever an Indian told them a new tale, they 
started off at once to see if it was true. 
They beard of a great river to the westward 
and Arellano, one of the brave ofiScers, led a 
party at once in search of it. Across the dry, 
hot desert of Arizona they went, and never 
stopped until they stood in the Grand Canon 
of the Colorado. Below them flowed the 
mighty river between walls hundreds of feet 
deep and so steep they could not descend to 
the water though they were almost dying of 
thirst as they stood over it. 

Scarcely had they got back before the army 
was again all excitement because an Indian 
had told a tale of a great city to the northeast- 
ward. Coronado himself led them in search 
of it. Up they went through New Mexico 
traveling for days among bands of buffaloes 
that reached further than they could see. 


48 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


They went so far north as to enter that part 
of our country now called Kansas. They 
found in reward for their long journey only a 
few Indian villages. 

At last, when more than two-thirds of his 
men were dead, Coronado gave up and marched 
back to Mexico. And this was the last search 
for the Seven Cities that were not. 


BLACICBOARia WORDS. 


Gov ern or 
ex pe cli tion 
tur qiioise 
re mark able 
des o late 
iii tel li gent 
crim in alii 
fer til i ty 
rovite 

mes sen gers 


A1 cal de 
em er aid 
pre tend ed 
jour ney 
cal a basil es 
as ton isli ineiit 
dis pleas ure 
spe ci mens 
en ter tain ment 
prov ince 


dif fer ent 
of fend ed 
pre cious 
ex am in ed 
Christ ians 
pos ses sion 
spe cial 
in qui ry 
con cern ing 


of 


Tejos = Tehos. 

Melchior Diax = Mel ke or Dee az. 

Cabeza de Vaca = Cah ba zah day Vah cah (means: Head 
a Cow.) 

Quivira = Kee vee ra. 



4 



THE INDIANS WATCHED HIM. 


ALARCON AND THE COLORADO RIVER* 


CHAPTER I. 

ALARCON DISCOVERS THE COLORADO RIVER. 

1 \ FTER the people of Spain had con- 
.A \ quered the people of Mexico, the 
V Spain sent Lord Don 

Antonio de Mendo9a to rule over 
Mexico, and also told him to ex- 
plore the new country, and send back to 
Spain the news of all they discovered. 

So the Lord de Mendo9a sent out men to 
explore both the land and the sea. 

He said to Fernando 
Alar9on, “ Here is a great 
lying close by our 
new country, but no one 
has yet sailed to its head. 

Take two ships and plenty 
of men, and everything 



Reference Topics. 

Gulf of California. 
Colorado River. 
Indian Keligrioii (Cre- 
ation Regreiids). 
Indian Food. 

Indian Clothes. 
Indian Hovises. 


52 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

you need, and sail up this gulf and find out 
all that you can.” 

On Sunday, the 9th of May, in the year 
1540, Alar9on set sail with two ships, one 
called Saint Peter and the other Saint Cath- 
erine. 

They had sailed but a few days when a 
terrible storm came up. The people who were 
in the ship called Saint Catherine were so 
frightened they threw overboard many of their 
guns and cannons and other things. This 
they did to keep the ship from sinking. But 
they came through the storm safely and 
went on. 

When they had gone a little further they 
came to a place where the water was so shallow 
the ships could scarcely sail and they were in 
great danger of being wrecked. The pilot and 
all the other men were very much frightened 
and said to Alarcon, “ Let us return back 
again.” But Alar9on said, “His Lordship com- 
manded me that I should bring him the secret 
of the gulf, and if I knew we should lose our 
ships, I should still try to sail to the head.” 

Then he called Nicolas Zamorano, the pilot, 
and Dominico del Castello and said, “ Each of 


ALARgON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 53 

you get into a boat, and take the lead in your 
hands, and sail in among those shoals, and see 
if you cannot find a channel for our ships.’’ 

The men got into the boats, sailed in 
among the shoals, and found a channel, and 
‘‘the ships came sailing along after them when 
of a sudden they found themselves fast on the 
sands.” They were in such danger that the 
decks of one of the ships was often entirely 
under water, and they would all have drowned 
but that a great wave came and lifted them 
high up onto the sand. There they had to 
stay until the tide came in again and the ships 
could float. 

Then all the men on the ships said to 
Alarcon, “ Let us go back, let us go back.” 
But Alargon said, “No, I am bound to go for- 
ward.” 

So they sailed forward with much trouble, 
steering the sterns of the ships now this 
way, now that way, to find the channel. 
Thus they went until they came to the very 
end of the gulf There they found a mighty 
river that ran with such fury that they could 
hardly sail against it, and this river was the 
Colorado. 



THE INDIANS PULLING THE BOATS UP THE RIVER. 



ALARgON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 55 


CHAPTER II. 

ALARCON SAILS UP THE COLORADO. 

After Alargon had discovered the Colorado, 
his men said to him, “ You have come to the 
end of the gulf, and you have found a mighty 
river; now let us go back.” 

But Alargon said, “No, I will sail up this 
river.” 

So he left the ships, and took two boats, 
twenty men, an Indian, and some small can- 
non, and began to sail up the Colorado. As 
they sailed along, he said to his men, “ We 
shall likely meet some Indians soon, and if we 
do, I charge you that none of you but our own 
Indian shall speak, or stir, or use any sign.” 

The very next morning just at daylight, 
they came to some wigwams close by the bank 
of the river, with many Indians near by. 
When the Indians saw the boats they were 
greatly frightened and cried out in a loud 
voice, and other Indians came out of the wig- 
wams to see what was the matter. Then they 


56 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

ran back into the wigwams and began to carry 
out their things and to lay them under the trees. 

When Alar9on’s men steered the boats to- 
"ward the bank of the Colorado, many of the 
Indians came running down to the river mak- 
ing signs that they should go back again, 
shouting, and looking angry, and running first 
on one side of the boats and then on the other. 

When Alar9on saw the Indians in such a 
rage, he ordered the boats back to the middle 
of the river, that the Indians might get over 
their fear. He said to his people, “ I charge 
you, let no man speak, nor make any sign nor 
motion, nor stir out of his place, nor be 
offended at anything the Indians do, nor show 
any sign of fighting.’’ 

When the Indians saw the people in the 
boat so quiet, they came quite close to the 
river bank. There were as many as two hun- 
dred and fifty of them and they had bows and 
arrows, and a kind of war flag. Little by 
little Alar9on tried to get toward them. When 
the Indians saw he was doing this, they came 
toward the boat with great cries, and put their 
arrows to their bows and waved their banners. 


ALARgON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 57 

Then Alar9oii went to the end of the boat 
nearest the shore and told his own Indian to 
stand beside him and speak to those on the 
shore for him. When the Indian spoke they 
could not understand him, but when they saw 
he was an Indian like themselves, they took 
their arrows from their bows. 

Then Alargon tried again to draw near the 
shore, but “they came again with great cries to 
keep them from the bank, and made signs 
that he should not come further, and put 
stakes in his way between the water and the 
land.” 

Alar9on now tried making signs of peace to 
them. He took his sword and his target and 
cast them down in the boat and set his feet 
upon them. He took his banner and cast 
it down, and set his feet upon it, trying thus 
to make them understand that he did not wish 
to have war with them. Then he caused all 
his people to sit down, and took some of the 
beads and bright-colored cloth he had brought 
with him, and held them up for the Indians to 
see, and called to them to give them some. 

“At hrst, none of them stirred to take any of 


58 WESTERN SERIES OK READERS. 

the ^ifts, but rather drew nearer together, and 
began a great murmuring among them- 
selves.” 

Suddenly, one of them came out from the 
others with a long stick, on which some shells 
were placed, and walked into the water to give 
them to Alargon. Alar9on took them, and 
made signs to the Indian that he should come 
close to him. The Indian did so, and Alargon 
embraced him and gave him some bright 
beads and some red cloth, with which he ran 
back to the others. 

They all began to look at them and admire 
them, and very soon many of them came 
toward Alar9on. He made signs to them that 
they should lay all their weapons in a heap 
and go away from them. This they did, and 
called to others who were coming to do the 
same. 

Then Alar9on “called them to him and began 
to give them beads, and cloth, and little bells, 
and they came in such throngs about him that 
he was afraid, and made signs to them that 
they must stand a little way off and come to 
him only about ten at a time. One of their 


ALARgON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 59 

oldest men called out to them what to do, and 
they did it.” 

When Alargon saw how well they obeyed, 
he said to his people : “ I am going on shore, 
and will teach them not to fear me.” 

Then he made signs to them to sit down on 
the ground, and he stepped out of the boat on 
to the shore. The Indians were glad to have 
him come ; but when ten or twelve of his men 
came also, they began to be angry and got up 
from the ground. But Alargon made signs to 
them not to be afraid, so they sat down again. 

Then, he went to them, and embraced them, 
and gave them beads. He wanted to know 
what sort of food they had, so he made signs 
to them that he was hungry, and they ran and 
brought him some cakes made of corn and a 
loaf of Mizquiqui, which is a kind of bread. 

They then made signs to Alargon that they 
would like to hear one of his guns shot off, 
and he said to one of the men : “ Shoot off 
your gun.” The man put the gun to his 
shoulder and fired. The Indians were so 
frightened they threw themselves on the 
ground and buried their faces in the sand. 


6 o 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


But there were two or three old men who 
were not frightened, but who, instead, were an- 
gry at the others for being afraid, and cried out 
to them in a loud voice. When one of those 
old men got through speaking, they began to 
get up from the ground and to take up their 
bows and arrows. 

When Alar9on saw that the old man was 
angry, he tried to put him in a good humor 
by giving to him a girdle of bright colors. 
But the old Indian would not take it, but bit 
his lip, hit Alar90u on the chest with his 
elbow, and spoke to the others in great fury. 

Then they all took up their banners and 
their bows and arrows and came toward 
Alar9on and his men. 

Alar9on said, “It is time we got back into 
the boats.” So they went into the boats and 
once more set sail up the Colorado. 

The men said to Alar9on, “ Let us go 
back.” But Alar9on said, “ No, we will go on.” 

They went on and the Indians ran along 
the bank and made signs for them to come 
on land again, and offered them food; but 
Alar9on said, “We must not stop.” 


ALARgON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 6l 


When they had gone up the river about 
six miles, they came to a cliff of a hill on 
which was an arbor newly made. Here the 
Indians again tried to get him to come on 
shore, sucking their fingers, beckoning to him 
with their hands, and calling to him. 

But Alar9on saw the rocks and brush and 
^aid, “ We will not stop for them for many 
more may be lying in ambush.’^ So they 
sailed on and had just got by, when out 
came a thousand Indians, all armed with bows 
and arrows. 

‘‘ Some of them had their faces all covered 
with paint, others had their faces half covered, 
and others had just streaks of paint. Some 
carried false faces in front of them painted 
like the real faces. They wore on their heads 
a piece of deerskin shaped like a helmet, and 
fastened to it were small sticks and feathers. 
They had holes in their noses and ears from 
which hung bits of shell and bone. About 
their waists they wore a girdle of bright 
colors, and in the middle of the back was a 
bunch of feathers which hung dov/n behind 
like a tail. Their bodies were tattooed and 


62 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


they wore their hair cut in front and hang- 
ing down behind.” They followed Alarcon up 
the river until it grew dark. 

The next morning, just at daylight, Alarcon 
and his men heard a great cry of Indians on 
both sides of the river, and there they were 
with their bows and arrows. 

Alarcon made signs to them again that 
they must lay down their bows and arrows 
if they wanted him to come to them. 

Some laid them down and some did not. 
Those that did lay them down, Alarcon called 
to him and gave them beads and other things. 
When the others saw this, they also laid down 
their weapons and came to him. Then he 
leaped on shore and stood among them. 

When they saw he had not come to fight 
them, some began to give him bits of shells, 
and “some gave him beautiful skins, and others 
gave him maize or corn. But always before 
they gave it, they would go a little way from 
him, and cry out, and make a sign with their 
arms and bodies, and then come to him and 
give him what they had brought. And so it 
was until every Indian had given him some- 
thing.” 


ALARgON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 63 

Then Alargon got back into the boat and 
rowed close to the land and the Indians 
followed along the bank. Al'argon made signs 
to the Indians that he came from the sun, 
w^hereupon they looked at him from tip to 
toe and seemed more delighted than ever. 

When he asked them for food, they brought 
so much that he had twice to call for boats to 
put it into, and each time they brought him 
anything, they first took a little piece of it 
and threw it up into the air towards the sun 
and then gave the rest to Alargon. 

“ So much love did they show him that when 
he and his men went on shore, the Indians 
wanted to carry them in their arms into their 
houses. In every way they obeyed him and 
tried to please him. 

All the time new Indians kept coming, and 
when they came, the Indians that were thefe 
first would run to meet them and tell them 
to lay down their bows and arrows, and Alar- 
gon would smile, nod to them that that was 
what he wanted them to do, and when they 
did it he would give them something. 

To some he gave bright napkins, to some 



ALARCON AND THE STRANGE INDIAN 



ALARgON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 65 


beads and to some crosses made of small 
sticks and paper. If one of the Indians 
forgot to throw away his weapon, the others 
would run to him, and take it away from him, 
and break it to pieces before Alargon to show 
him how much they wished to please him. 

The Colorado ran so swiftly that Alargon’s 
men could not row against it, so he tied strong 
ropes to the boats and said to his men, “ You 
must walk on shore and pull the boats.” “But 
the Indians came and begged for the ropes, 
striving one with another to see who should 
have them,” and thus they pulled Alargon and 
his men up the river. 


CHAPTER III. 

ALARCON AND THE STRANGE INDIAN. 

At last they came to a place where were 
many more new Indians, and Alargon told his 
Indian to speak to them. He called out to 
them and one of them answered him. Then 
Alargon said, “ Row all the boats to the bank, 
and we will stop and talk to this Indian.” 


66 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


Then the strange Indian began to speak to 
the others with great fnry, whereupon they all 
began to draw together in a great crowd. 

Alarcon and his Indian stood at the end of 
the boat near the shore and the strange Indian 
came to the boat and said to them, “ Who are 
you ? Do you come out of the water, or out of 
the earth, or from heaven? ” 

Alar9on answered, We are Christians, and 
we have come from a far laud to see you.” 

“ Who sent you ? ” said the strange Indian. 

“ The sun sent me,” answered Alarcon. 

Said the strange Indian, “ How can it be 
that the sun sends you, when he is aloft in the 
sky and never stands still ? In all these years 
neither I nor any of our old men have seen 
such men as you, and till this hour, the sun 
has never sent any others.” 

And Alarcon said, ‘Ht is true that the sun 
is aloft in the sky and never stands still, but 
do you not see that when he goes down at 
night and rises in the morning, he comes near 
to the earth where his dwelling is? And do 
you not see that he always comes from one 
place? He made me in that land and country 


ALARCON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 67 

from which he comes, just as he has made 
other men and sent them into other lands. 
He has sent me to visit and view this river, 
and the people that dwell near it. He wishes 
that I should speak to you and join with you 
in friendship, and give you things which you 
have not, and that I should charge you not to 
make war against one another.” 

The strange Indian answered Alar9on and 
said, “ Tell me, then, why the sun has not sent 
you before to make peace among us. There 
has been much war and many have been slain.” 

“ He could not send me,’ replied Alarcon, 
“ because I was a child.” 

Then the strange Indian said to Alar9on’s 
Indian, “ Did these white men bring you here 
by force or did you wish to come with them ?” 

Alar9on’s Indian answered, I wished to 
come with them, and they pay me well.” 

“ How is it,” said the strange Indian ‘‘ that 
they have brought but one who can understand 
us, and why can they not understand all men 
when they are children of the sun ? ” 

Alar9on’s Indian answered, “The sun also 
made me, and gave me a language to under- 


68 


• WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


stand you and others, but because the sun has 
many other things to do, and because my 
master was young, he sent him no sooner.^^ 

Then the strange Indian turned to Alar9on 
and said quickly, Come you, therefore, hither 
to be our lord, and do you wish that we 
should serve you ? ” 

“ No,” said Alarcon, not to be your lord, 
but to be your brother, and to give you such 
things as I have.” 

“And is it true,” asked the Indian, “ that 
you are the child of the sun, or are you only 
his kinsman ?” 

And Alarcon answered, “ I am the child of 
the sun. He is my father.” 

“And those others who are with you,” said 
the Indian, “ are they also children of the 
sun ?” 

“ No,” said Alarcon, “ they are not children 
of the sun, but they were all born in that far 
country where I grew.” 

Then the strange Indian cried out in a loud 
voice, and said to Alar9on, “ Seeing that you 
have done us so much good, and will not have 
us to make war, and that you are the child of 


ALARgON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 69 


the sun, we will all take you for our lord, and 
will always serve you ; and we beg that you 
will not depart from us, nor leave us.” 

Then he turned to all the other Indians and 
called out to them, “ Oh, my brothers, great 
fortune has come to us this day ; for, behold, 
this man who has come to us from a far land 
is child of the sun, and the sun is his father, 
and therefore shall we all choose him for our 
lord.” 

And a great murmur went up among the 
Indians, and they came flocking about Alarcon, 
and struggling to get near him. And each 
one touched him, and called him lord; and 
begged to serve him. 

Then the strange Indian asked Alar9on 
many questions about the land of the sun, 
and all that Alar9on told him, he told to the 
other Indians and they were filled with joy 
to hear it. 

Then Alar9on asked him many questions 
about the strange country and people and their 
manner of living, and all about their wild 
animals, and about other Indians who lived 
off in the land far from Colorado. And all 


70 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

that the Indian knew he told Alar9on right 
gladly. 

Alarcon said to him, “ Do yon believe that 
there is one God who made heaven and earth? 

“No,’’ said the Indian, “but we love the 
sun above all other things, because it warms 
us and makes our crops grow ; and whenever 
we eat, we throw a little piece up into the 
air for him.” 

“And have you no great Lord to whom 
you pray?” said Alar9on. 

“ No,” answered the Indian, “ but we know 
well there is a great Lord, but we do not 
know where he dwells.” 

And Alar9on said to him, “ The great Lord 
lives up in the heavens.” 

Then Alar9on made them many little crosses, 
and a great cross of wood and told them these 
crosses were the sign of heaven ; and showed 
them that they must love them. The In- 
dians took the crosses, and kissed them, and 
hungthem on their necks, and showed Alar9on 
that they were glad to have them, and would 
do just as he wished; and the great cross they 
planted in the ground where all could see it. 


ALARgON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 7 1 

Alargon said to the strange Indian, “For what 
reasons do you make war upon other In- 
dians ? ” 

“ Sometimes because they have made us 
angry,” said the strange Indian, “ and some- 
times for no reason at all, but because we want 
to fight.” 

“And who leads your army into battle?” 
asked Alargon. 

“Our oldest and bravest men,” answered 
the Indian. “ Had you not come to us, we 
would now be fighting, for there are Indians 
beyond the mountains who have done us much 
harm.” 

“Well,” said Alargou, “ you must not fight 
any more,” and the Indian answered, “ Because 
our dear lord has come to us and told us to 
cease from fighting, we have made up our minds 
that not again will we take up arms, but 
henceforth we will live in peace.” 

So for many days, Alargon sailed up the 
Colorado, and the Indians pulled the boats, 
and gave him food and did for him everything 
they could. And all the time he met more 
strange Indians who came to him, and called 


72 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

him ‘‘ lord ”, and gave him all that they had 
just as the others had done. 

But at last Alar9on said to them, “ Now I 
must leave yon. Away down the river are my 
ships, and in them I must sail to a far laud 
and tell a great prince all that I have seen.” 

When Alarcon said this, the Indians cried 
out and said to him, “ Dear lord, why do you 
leave us ? Has any unkindness been done to 
you here? Did you not say that you would 
stay with us and be our lord ? Stay with us, 
and if any man on this river has done you 
any wrong, we will go with our bows and 
arrows and kill him. We pray you to stay 
with us.” 

But Alarcon said, “ I cannot stay. The 
great prince is waiting to hear of the gulf, 
and the mighty river and the strange land, 
and the good, good Indians that I have seen, 
and I must go now, but I will come back to 
you if I can.” 

And so, while the Indians stood in great 
crowds on the bank mourning that he should 
go, and calling to him to come back to them 
soon, Alar9on turned his boats about and sailed 
swiftly down the great river. 


ALARgON AND THE COLORADO RIVER. 73 


BLACKBOARO WORDS. 


Ter ri ble 

Ar l)or 

Banners 

slial low 

am bush 

ar rows 

pi lot 

hel met 

mvir mur in 

shoals 

g:ird le 

em brae ed 

chan iiel 

tat too e<l 

ad mire 

eii tire ly 

a loft 

weap ons 

<lroAvn e<l 

slain 

0 bey ed 

fu ry 

Strug: g:iiiig: 

bu ri ed 

wig: wains 

mourn ing; 

hu mov 


w 










DISCOVERY OF MONTEREY BAY BY SEBASTIAN VISCAINO, 



THE LOSING AND FINDING OF THE BAY 
OF MONTEREY* 

HEN Philip III became King of 
Spain, one of the first messages he 
wrote was to the Conde de Mon- 
terey who was then Viceroy of 
New Spain : 

“ Onr ships for the Philippine Islands are in 
sore need of a harbor on the coast of New 
Spain, wrote the king, “and we desire that 
you at once send out a new expedition. Spare 
neither pains nor money, but get ships and 
men, and explore and take 
possession of any harbors 
which you may find, and 
of all that coast which is 
not yet claimed.” 

Quickly the Conde de 
Monterey set to work. He 
bought two large ships and 
two small ones. He hired 


Reference Topics. 

Locate : 

Pliilippine Islands. 
Acapulco. 

San Pedro. 

Santa Barbara Chan- 
nel. 

Cape Mendocino. 
Stanford University. 
Farallones. 

AVliat are— 

Colonies ? 
Plantations ? 
Expeditions? 
Missions ? 



75 


76 WESTERN SERIES OK READERS. 

soldiers and sailors. He invited learned men 
and pious priests to join the expedition; then 
he sent for a brave captain, Sebastian Vis- 
caino. 

“ Here,” said he to Viscaino, “ is plenty of 
money, good ships and brave men ; take them, 
if you will, and win new glory for yourself and 
Spain.” 

“ Right gladly,” said Viscaino. And on the 
5th of May, t6o2, he took the ships and sailed 
from Acapulco. 

Six months he sailed up the coast exploring 
every little inlet, but finding no harbor. On 
the tenth of November he anchored at San 
Diego where Cabrillo had landed almost fifty 
years before. 

‘Ht is a good harbor,” he said, “but I must 
look for better.” 

Kind-hearted Indians gathered about him 
and offered him all their country. 

“ Stay with us and be our king ! ” they said. 

But he only laughed, and went on to seek 
harbors for the Philippine ships. 

At San Pedro he landed for a time ; then 
sailed through Santa Barbara Channel and on 


THE BAY OF MONTEREY. 


77 


up the coast through heavy fogs which made 
him fear that he might pass a good harbor all 
uuknowing. 

On the i6th of December the fog lifted and 
there before him lay a pine-clad point of land 
and under it, a shining bay surrounded by 
green, pine-clad hills, and just beyond a spark- 
ling river hastening to the sea. 

Here, indeed, was the long-sought harbor. 
With joy beyond words Viscaino rounded the 
Point of Pines and sailed into the bay. In 
honor of his viceroy he named it the Bay of 
Monterey. 

The next day the men from all the ships 
gathered on shore. They set up an altar under 
an oak tree by whose roots flowed a spark- 
ling stream and whose branches touched the 
tidewater. The priests said Mass and offered 
thanks to God for permitting them to find so 
good a harbor. Then all gathered in council 
to decide what to do next. 

Notwithstanding the discovery of the harbor 
there was much to trouble Viscaino. He had 
started from Acapulco with three hundred men 
all strong and well. Now scarcely one was 


78 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

well, sixteen were already dead, and others 
seemed about to die. Yet Viscaino had no 
thought of giving up. 

“There may be still finer harbors up the 
coast,’’ said he. “ This is no time to turn back.” 

“ Let us send home the sick,” said one of 
his men, “ and let those of us that are able, 
rest here a few days and then go up the coast.” 

The sick were carried on board the Santo 
Tomas and started home to Acapulco, while 
Viscaino rested a few days at Monterey and 
then sailed with his other ships up the coast. 

Three long months they struggled against 
sickness and battled against winds and storms. 
Heavy fogs hung always over the coast and 
because of them he passed the great harbor of 
San Francisco Bay without seeing it. As he 
neared Cape Mendocino a fearful storm came 
on. The sea was lashed into foam and the 
wind howled through the rigging. Masts 
were broken and sails swept away. Clouds 
and mist settled over them. They could see 
nothing, and could hear only the roar of the 
waves and the creaking of timbers as the ships 
were driven hither and thither by the fierce 


THE BAY OF MONTEREY. 


79 


wind. The sailors fell upon their faces in 
fright and cried out their prayers for help. 
Yet still the ships tossed at the mercy of wind 
and water, and it was days before the storm 
passed over. 

“ Captain,” cried the seamen, “ let ns go 
home.” 

“ Yes,” said weary Viscaino, “ we shall go 
home.” And he commanded the ships to turn 
about and sail back to Acapulco. Before he 
arrived there the captains of his ships were 
dead and many more of his men, yet his only 
thought was to gather another company and 
sail again to Monterey to found a settlement. 

Viscaino wrote out a careful account of his 
voyage, telling all the dangers they had 
met, and fully describing the fine country 
they had taken possession of for the Spanish 
Crown, and especially the beautiful bay they 
had discovered. He theu asked that soldiers 
and settlers be gathered to make a settlement. 

The Viceroy read carefully all that Viscaino 
wrote. 

“I am sure you are right,” he said; “It 
would be a great thing for Spain to defend 


8o 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


her claims and to have a good settlement to 
supply the needs of the Philippine ships. 
But I have no right to order such settlement. 
You will have to see the King himself.” 

Viscaino sailed away to Spain to see the 
King. But Philip III had many things to 
trouble him greatly at that time, and did not 
seem to care anything about Viscaino. 

“ We have already spent money enough to 
have settled half a dozen colonies,” said he. 
“You have done well, and we are glad you 
have discovered so fine a harbor, but we can- 
not attend to the matter now. There are 
other affairs of more importance. The Phil- 
ippine ships must wait their turn.” 

Poor Viscaino ! Disappointed and discour- 
aged, he sailed back to New Spain. 

“ I am an old man,” he said, “ and there is 
nothing left me but to find a quiet spot and 
die.” 

He went off on a plantation, but had lived 
there only a short time when a letter was 
brought him from the Viceroy saying that the 
King had made up his mind Viscaino was quite 
right, and wished him to form a company at 
once and land them at Monterey. 


THE BAY OF MONTEREY. 


8i 


Viscaino forgot all about being old now, and 
joyfully set to work fitting out his company. 
But, alas ! he was old, and before the ships 
were ready he died, and then no one thought 
any more about Monterey. 

A hundred and sixty years went by. The 
Spanish ships still sailed without stopping to 
the Philippine Islands, and the poor sailors 
died by hundreds every year because the voy- 
age was so long, while all this time the beautiful 
bay where they might have found rest and 
relief slept in the sunshine. 

The Russians had settled far to the north, 
and the new King of Spain, Carlos III, began 
to fear lest he should lose his kingdom on 
the coast. In 1769 he wrote to the Viceroy 
ordering him to carry out at once the plans 
made by Philip III so long before. 

“Waste no time,” he wrote, “and spare no 
money, but as soon as may be let me know 
that the interests of Spain are safe and that 
there is a settlement at Monterey.” 

The greatest man at that time in New 
Spain was Jose de Galvez, and he it was that 
undertook to carry out the King’s command. 


82 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


He sent at once for Caspar de Portola, the 
new Governor, and for Father Junipero Serra, 
president of the missions, and laid before them 
plans for a great expedition. 

“ We will divide our people,” he said, “ part 
shall go by land, and part by sea, and those 
that get to San Diego first shall wait for the 
others. There we shall found a settlement and 
a mission, and then go on to Monterey. You, 
Father Junipero, will send priests; and you, 
Portola, will send soldiers.” 

“ I will go with you,” cried Father Junipero, 
“ and will myself plant the cross ! ” 

“ I, too, will go with you,” said Portola, 
“ and will myself lead the soldiers.” 

At once they set to work, and in less than 
four mouths two ships were sailing the ocean 
to seek again a harbor for the Philippine 
sailors, and two parties had marched overland 
to meet them at San Diego. 

It was a long, hard journey by either land 
or sea, and there was much suffering, especial- 
ly for those who made their way by land. 
But on the first of July they looked down 
upon San Diego, and saw the San Carlos and 


THE BAY OF MONTEREY. 83 

San Antonio anchored in the harbor and the 
tents of the seamen pitched on the shore. Joy 
at the sight drove weariness from the march- 
ers’ feet, and they ran shouting towards the 
camp firing volley after volley as they ran, 
while great cheering burst from those in camp 
to see their comrades and they flew to meet 
them and to clasp them in their arms. 

For two weeks the foot-sore travelers rested 
on the shores of San Diego. Then, leaving 
Father Junipero and his priests to build the 
mission, Portola gathered his forces and started 
onward for the Bay of Monterey so much 
talked of. 

Keeping as close as might be to the coast 
they marched northward over a pathway of 
flowers. Poppies, golden as the sun himself, 
filled the valleys ; lupines, blue, yellow, and 
white, spread their beauty before them as they 
passed; and best of all, the pale, pink wild 
roses by their familiar form and fragrance set 
the travelers thinking of Castile in far-away 
Old Spain. 

They halted once where to-day stands the 
mission of San Luis Rey, and again where 


84 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

now is Santa Barbara. By the middle of Sep- 
tember they were at the site of San Luis 
Obispo. 

It began to get very cold and some of the 
men fell ill, but the little band pressed braveL^ 
on, praying continually for help and naming 
every little land-mark for some well-beloved 
saint of their church. 

It was the first of October and Portola stood 
upon a hill-top and saw below him a point of 
land covered with pines, and under it a bay. 

There it was — but Portola knew it not — 
the harbor they had come so far to find. 
Viscaino had seen it in December when the 
winter rains had covered the hills with green 
and turned the stream into a foaming flood. 
He had written of a beautiful, grass-clad laud, 
a rushing river, and flowing springs ; but the 
hills which now Portola looked upon were bare 
and brown, and only a little rivulet ran down 
to the sea. 

“ Here is such a point of pines as Viscaino 
wrote of,” said Portola, “ but this cannot be 
Monterey. It does not seem large enough. 
Yet Monterey must be near by, so let us camp 
and explore.” 


THE BAY OF MONTEREY. 


85 


Four days they explored the coast, march- 
ing along the shore of the very port they were 
seeking. 

“ We cannot find it,” they said then. “ What 
shall we do? ” 

“ Let us go on,” said one of the priests. ‘‘If 
there be such a bay it must be farther ahead 
of us, and we may find it yet. If God permit 
that we perish in the search we shall have 
died doing our duty. Let us go on.” 

“ Let us go on,” echoed the others. 

So they turned their backs on Monterey 
where it was and went to seek it where it was 
not. 

Up the coast they marched through the 
beautiful Santa Clara Valley, past the spot 
where now stands Stanford University, and on 
almost to the Golden Gate. They saw Point 
Reyes stretching out into the ocean, and the 
Farallones towering up in the distance, and 
they knew that they were too far north to find 
Monterey. 

Again they stood upon the shore of Mon- 
terey, and again they did not know it. But 
they planted a large cross on the beach and 


86 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


cut ou it the name of Portola and the date, and 
then wearily tramped back to San Diego. 

Great was the disappointment of Father 
J unipero when Portola told him that there was 
no Monterey. 

“ What can have become of it ? ” he cried. 
“ Viscaino found it, that is sure, and he said 
it was a famous harbor.” 

“ It is a long time since Viscaino found it,” 
answered Portola, “ and it may have filled with 
sand since then, there is much sand near the 
Point of Pines.” 

“ You must have found it,” urged Junipero. 
“ That bay by the Point of Pines must have 
been Monterey.” 

“ It was not,” answered Portola. “It was not 
big enough, there was no river, and the land 
was brown and desolate and not at all such as 
Viscaino wrote of” 

“ I think you found it, — I think it was Mon- 
terey,” sighed Junipero, and as he went away 
he spoke of it to Captain Vila of one of the 
ships, who was a fine sailor. 

“ What do you think of it? ” he asked Vila. 
“Was it Monterey or not ? ” 


THE BAY OF MONTEREY. 87 

“ I think it was Monterey,” said Vila, 
“ there is no other point of pines.” 

Junipero was sadder than ever; and now 
the food began to grow scarce and each day 
Portola grew more discouraged. 

“ It is of no use to think of staying here lon- 
ger,” he said at last. ‘‘We are too far from Mex- 
ico. We shall starve if we do not go. Let us 
measure out the food and set aside enough to 
carry us back to Acapulco, then when the rest 
is gone, we will abandon San Diego and go 
home.” 

This was more than Junipero could bear. 

“ Do not give up! ” he cried. “ Have we not 
come in the name of God and will He not care 
for His own ? Think of the Indians whose 
souls we might save 1 Think of the Philip- 
pine sailors I Did not the King command us 
to spare no pains ? Have faith, have strength 1 
All will yet be well with us I ” 

Portola was weary and disappointed. 

“It is of no use,” he answered. “If we 
stay our people will die and I shall be blamed. 
I have made up my mind to go back.” 

“Wait just a little longer, — perhaps help 
will come to us,” begged Junipero. 


88 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


‘‘Very well,” said Portola, “I will wait as 
long as oiir food will allow.” 

He measured out the food and seeing that 
it would last twenty days, he said : 

“ To-day is the first of March. I will wait 
till the twentieth, then, if no help comes we 
shall start for Mexico the twenty-first.” 

^‘Very well,” said Junipero, ‘‘and in the 
meantime we will pray.” 

Father Junipero went down to the beach and 
asked a sailor to row him out to the ship that 
he might speak with Vila. 

“Unless help comes to us,” he said to Vila, 
‘ in twenty days Portola will abandon San 
Diego. Now, do you still think that the bay 
he found was Monterey.” 

“Yes,” answered Vila, “I do think so.” 

“So do I,” said Junipero, “and I shall not 
abandon San Diego but will plant the cross at 
Monterey. We will wait and pray the twenty 
days, then if no help comes, the others may go 
back but I shall go alone to Monterey.” 

“ You shall not go alone ! ” cried the captain. 
“ Say nothing to Portola, but if the help does 
not come I shall not go to Mexico until I have 
first carried you to the Point of Pines.” 


THE BAY OF MONTEREY. 89 

They waited and prayed, and the days 
dragged by. The nineteenth of the month 
came and the baggage was packed and the 
men were ready to start the next day. Sud- 
denly a cry rang through the camp, ‘‘A sail! 
A sail I A sail I ’’ 

Could it be? Father Junipero fell upon his 
knees. Yes, it was true 1 At the last moment 
help had come. San Diego would not be 
abandoned ; San Carlos should yet have a 
mission at Monterey. A Spanish ship was in 
the offing. 

It was even better than they had dreamed, 
for when the ship came into the harbor they 
learned that she brought not only food and 
supplies, but a letter from the Viceroy to 
Portola. 

“ The King is impatient to know whether 
you have yet made a settlement at Monterey,” 
it said. “ Delay not a moment, but send me 
word at once when it is done.’’ 

Not a moment was lost. They began at 
once to make ready the ship for the northward 
voyage, and by the middle of April the San 
Antonio sailed with Father Junipero, while 



HOLDING MASS ON SHORE JUNE 3, 1770. 



THE BAY OE MONTEREY. 9 1 

Portola again led his party by land, all in 
search of the lost bay. 

Contrary winds delayed the San Antonio, 
but nothing could keep back the eager Portola. 
On the 24th of May he stood by the cross he 
had planted months before, and looked out 
upon the harbor where seals were sporting in 
the water. . The hills were green, and flowers 
were blooming, and the land was not desolate 
now. 

“ It is the Bay of Monterey just as Viscaino 
described it,” said Portola to Father Crespi, 
who stood beside him. “ How strange I should 
not have known it before.” 

A week later the San Antonio sailed into 
the harbor bringing Father Junipero. 

‘Ms it Monterey?” he cried, as he sprang 
ashore. 

Of course it is Monterey ! ” they answered 
joyfully. 

God be thanked ! ” he said solemnly, and 
grasped Portola’s hand. 

On the 3d of June all gathered on the 
beach. An altar was quickly built, and the 
bells brought for the mission swung in the 


92 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


trees. Under the same spreading oak where 
Viscaino had knelt in 1602, there knelt with 
their followers, Junipero and Portola, in 1770. 
The priests chanted a Mass in thanksgiving, 
the bells rang out the message of the cross to 
the sleeping hills, and a volley of musketry 
voiced the claims of the King of Spain. Thus 
was founded the mission of San Carlos and 
the Presidio of Monterey. 


BLACKBOARO WORDS. 


3 Ies saj;es 
vice roy 
ex i>e <li tioii 
pos ses sioH 
sur round ed 
has ten ins: 
per init tins: 
coun oil 
com inand ed 
com pa 11 y 


set tie ment 
ac count 
de scrib ins: 
ar riv ed 
es pe cial ly 
im port ance 
dis ap i>oint ed 
plan ta tion 
pres i dent 
S:ov ern or 


an chor ed 
Avea ri ness 
com rades 
fa mil iar 
con tin ual ly 
riv n let 
des o late 
mus ket ry 
a ban don 
pre si dio 


Conde <le Monterey (Con day day Mon tay ray), Viscaino (Vees- 
cah ee' no), Cabrillo (Cah bree o), San Pedro (San Pay' dro), Portold 
(Porto lab'), Junipero (Hu nee' pay ro), Jose de Galvez (Ho say' de Gal- 
veth). 


THE STORY OF SAN DIEGO BAY* 


FTER the Viceroy Mendoqa had 
sent out Coronado and Alarcon, 
hoping they would find a great 
kingdom to the northward, he 
was not yet satisfied. He had 
still two ships left, so he sent for Juan Rodri- 
guez Cabrillo, a brave Portuguese, and said to 
him : ‘‘ Here are two ships. Take them and 
sail up the coast. Explore it carefully, and it 
may be you will learn of some great cities or 
perhaps even a kingdom. If you do sail back 
at once and let me know.” 

Cabrillo was delighted, 
and on June 27, 1542, he 
sailed out of Natividad 
with his two ships the San 
Salvador and the Victoria. 

Up they sailed, skirting 
the coast of Lower Califor- 


Reference Topics. 

Lower California. 
Natividad. 

Isle de Cedros. 

Cape San Quintin. 
San Diejfo. 

Santa Monica. 

To whom do the Phil- 
ippine Islands helon«:? 



93 



CABRILLO LANDING AT SAN DIEGO BAY. 


THE STORY OF SAN DIEGO BAY. 95 

nia, past the cliffs, past the lowlands, past 
the sandbanks and the coast, white and clear. 

They noted each cape and each inlet, always 
watching for Indians, and always hoping to 
hear of a great kingdom. 

In August they were at Cedros Island and 
left it to beat against a contrary wind on up 
the coast. It was slow sailing at best, and it 
was slower because Cabrillo turned into every 
little inlet. 

“ This is a good country,” he often remarked 
as he watched the coast, and, when they came 
to that little bay now called Port San Quentin, 
he said, ‘‘ I think I will go ashore and take 
possession for I know this is a good country.” 

So they all went ashore and the Spanish 
flag was unfurled, the guns were fired, and 
Cabrillo declared the whole country to belong 
to the Spanish Crown. 

Then they sailed onward naming each little 
cape and bay and island, until on the 17th of 
September they came to what they called “ a 
good port well inclosed,” and this was our San 
Diego Bay. 

Here they got fresh water from a little pond 


g6 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

of rain water, and lingered under groves of 
trees that looked like silk-cotton trees. On 
the beach were strewn larger trees that the 
sea had brought in, and the herbage was like 
that of Spain. There were large cabins on the 
shore and herds of animals with long silk 
wool like Peruvian sheep, but the Indians had 
fled. There were beautiful valleys and 
groves and a country flat and rough, but 
because they saw no signs of a city nor a king- 
dom they thought little about the beautiful 
bay. 

They named it San Mateo and then sailed 
on pausing at what is now called Santa 
Monica, again at San Pedro, and then on up 
among the islands of Santa Barbara Channel. 

While exploring one of those islands 
Cabrillo broke his arm. The surgeon bade 
him rest quietly until it was better, but 
Cabrillo laughed at him. “ I am not that kind 
of Captain,” he said, “ to be disturbed by a 
little accident.” 

They sailed on, turning landward at Mon- 
terey Bay, but a contrary wind sent them to 
sea again. 


THE STORY OF SAN DIEGO BAY. 


97 


They went up almost to San Francisco Bay, 
when the wind grew so bad they turned about 
and put back to the Santa Barbara Channel. 

Cabrillo’s arm had kept getting steadily 
worse, and on the same island where he was 
hurt — the Isle of San Miguel — he died. 

He was a strong man and he hated to die. 
He longed to live and sail on northward and 
find the kingdom he had come to seek. With 
his last breath he charged them : “ Do not 

give up, but sail on up the coast.” They 
buried him, probably on the same Isle of San 
Miguel, but to-day no one knows where he 
lies. 

They sailed on up the coast, probably past 
Cape Mendocino. At any rate they discovered 
this cape and named it for the Viceroy Mendo9a. 
They then went back to Mexico. 

They told all about the voyage and partic- 
ularly of the harbor of San Diego. But be- 
cause they had discovered no great cities 
teeming with gold and silver Mendoza cared 
nothing for what they had done, and no one 
paid honor to the memory of brave Cabrillo 
who slept in the lonely isle far to the north- 
ward. 



DEATH OF CABRILLO ON THE ISLE OF SAN MIGUEL 


THE STORY OF SAN DIEGO BAY. 99 

Years went by. Then in 1602 the Conde 
de Monterey sent out Viscaino to search for 
harbors for the Philippine ships. 

Up the coast he came, looking at every 
inlet, but finding no safe harbor until he came 
to the bay where Cabrillo had landed in 1542, 
and he it was who named it San Diego. 

“This will indeed be a fine port,” said Vis- 
caino, “and I will certainly recommend a set- 
tlement here.” 

In the story of Monterey Bay I have told 
you how he went back and how died with 
him all interest in the Philippine sailors. 

I also told you how after more than one hun- 
dred and sixty years King Carlos III of Spain 
sent word for harbors at once to be settled, and 
how Portola and Father Junipero joyfully 
marched to the northward. 

Junipero was full of joy when he gazed first 
upon the landscape of San Diego. 

“It is truly magnificent,” he wrote. “The 
valley is studded with trees, the wild vines 
are laden with grapes, and the native roses are 
as sweet and fair as those of our own beloved 
Castile.” 


lOO 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


On the i6th day of July, 1769, the soldiers, 
sailors, and priests all gathered on the shore. 
Portola stood for Spain and Junipero for the 
Church. They raised a great cross, the priests 
chanted a mass, the soldiers fired a volley from 
their guns, and San Diego was settled. 

There were hard times ahead of them. 
There were days made long by hunger, and 
nights filled with terror by the Indians. But 
courage conquered. 

Now ships of the world sail in and out of 
the harbor, and could Cabrillo come again he 
would find looking out upon its peaceful smil- 
ing waters a city beautiful enough and rich 
enough to satisfy all his dreams. 


BLACKBOARD WORDS. 


Vice roy 
lierb age 
voy age 
vol ley 
in let 

mag iiif i cent 
rec om mend 


Pe ru vi an 
chan nel 
SUV geon 
par tic u lar ly 
mem o ry 
Phil ii) pine 
pos ses 8ion 


Port n guese 
sat is fy 
ter ror 
har hors 
na tive 
set tie ment 


THE STORY OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY. 



HE most remarkable thing about San 
Francisco Bay is that it should have 
remained so long hidden among its 
hills while ships sailed up and down 
the coast searching for good harbors. 

In 1542 Cabrillo came sailing up from San 
Diego, and came almost in sight of San Fran- 
cisco, when storms discouraged him so that he 
turned about and sailed back to the island of 
San Miguel in the Santa Barbara Channel, 
otherwise he might have found it. 

Then in 1579 Sir Francis Drake, the bold 
English pirate, came sail- 
ing down from the north 
and cast anchor under 
Point Reyes in the little 
bay that to-day bears his 
name. But he, too, sailed 
away without discovering 
the secret of the hills. 


Reference Topics. 

San Miguel Island. 
Drake’s Bay. 

San Francisco Bay. 
Monterey. 

Does the Sacramento 
How into the San 
J oaquin ? 



PORTOLA DISCOVERS BAY FROM TOP OF HILL. 


STORY OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY. 103 

In 1602 brave Viscaino came up the coast 
looking for harbors for the Philippine ships. 
He found the forgotton harbors of San Diego 
and Monterey, but when he came opposite San 
Francisco his ships were helpless before a 
heavy wind, and heavy fogs covered the coast, 
so he sailed by and left the greatest harbor in 
the world undiscovered. 

But at last, in 1769, Portola came overland, 
leading a party in search of Monterey Bay. 
They found it but did not know it, and so 
marched on to look for it further north. 
Through this strange mistake they were the 
first to learn the secret of the hills. 

It was on the 4th of November that Portola 
and his men stood upon a hill-top and looked 
out up San Francisco Bay. 

There it lay, one of the finest harbors in 
the world, but they were thinking so much of 
Monterey that they did not stop to think that 
they had found a harbor far finer than the one 
they had lost. They spent three or four days 
exploring it and then went back to San Diego 
and talked far more about the bay they could 
not find than about the new one they had dis- 
covered. 


104 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

When Monterey was fonnd and word sent 
back to Mexico they rang the church bells and 
held services for thank-offering, but never a 
word of thanks did they offer for the discovery 
of the bay on whose shores would grow the 
greatest city of the west and whose wondrous 
beauty would be the theme of many a painter’s 
brush and many a poet’s pen. 

However, the Mission Fathers knew it was a 
good place for a mission. 

When in 1772 Pedro Pages came to Mon- 
terey, Father Junipero asked him to go on up 
the coast and explore the bay of San Fran- 
cisco. 

“ It is a good bay,” said Father Junipero to 
Pages, “and we do not yet know its size. 
Would it not be a good work were you to go 
and learn all we would know of it ? ” 

And right on the heels of Junipero’s request 
came an order from the Viceroy in Mexico 
ordering Pages to do that very thing. 

It was March 20, 1772, that Pages and 
Father Crespi left Monterey. They came up, 
crossed the Salinas River, past where is now 
the little town of Gilroy, and camped where 


STORY OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY. 105 

stands the village of Milpitas. From there 
they began exploring. Round the edge of the 
bay they marched, carefully examining every 
point. 

One day they climbed the hills north of 
Mount Diablo and saw the Sacramento River 
pouring down from the north and the San 
Joaquin coming to meet it from the south. 

They could not get entirely around the 
bay, but they saw enough to feel that they had 
much good news to carry back with them. 

Junipero listened eagerly as they told him 
of the fine bay with its many arms reaching 
into the land and with beautiful hills shelter- 
ing it from the ocean. 

“ The Viceroy must be told of it/’ he 
exclaimed, “ he must understand what a har- 
bor is there,” and he went off to Mexico, and 
he and the Viceroy talked much of San Fran- 
cisco. The outcome was that the Viceroy 
ordered another expedition to survey the 
bay. 

It was May, 1774, when this expedition 
under Captain Rivera y Moncada and Father 
Palon with sixteen soldiers came over the 



AYALA SENDING BOAT AHEAD IN BAY OF SAN FRANCISCO. 







STORY OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY. 107 

same route Fages had followed in 1772. They 
started bravely to work, but the rain fell 
almost constantly, and their animals were 
tired, so they soon gave up and went back. 

However, they had learned euough to make 
the Viceroy feel that Spain must make good 
her claim to the beautiful harbor, so he sent 
orders at once that a presidio be settled, and 
asked Father Junipero to found a mission. 

It was July, 1775, when the San Carlos, the 
same brave little ship that had carried settlers 
to San Diego and Monterey, started up the 
coast for San Francisco with Juan de Ayala 
for her captain. Slowly she sailed up the 
coast, and nine days after leaving Monterey 
she stood off the Heads. 

Ayala sent a launch ahead of him across the 
bar. He watched the little boat go safely over 
the breakers, and thongh the darkness was 
falling over them, he set sail after her, and 
when the light broke next morning they were 
riding at anchor safe in San Francisco Bay. 

Quickly the men set to work building houses 
and storehouses and palisades. They were 
ready by the middle of September and on the 


io8 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


17th all gathered on the shore. The Spanish 
flag was unfnrled, the bells were rung, the 
cannon were fired, and a high mass sung by 
the priests. And thus was founded the great 
city of San Francisco that to-day looks out 
over the Golden Gate. 


BLACKBOARO WORDS. 


Dis cour aared 
op po site 
re quest 
pal i sades 


dis cov er y 
thank - of fer in; 
pour iiig: 
pre sid i o 


anchor 

theme 

ex pe di tioii 
mis sion 



VANCOUVER IN THE NORTHWEST* 



N the month of April, 1792, two 
ships came sailing along through 
the waters of the Pacific Ocean. 
One was a fine large ship carrying 
ten heavy cannon and was named 
the Discovery, The other was a neat little 
vessel named the Chatham, 

As they neared the coast, the watch shouted, 
‘‘ Land ho ! ’’ “ Land ho ! ” cried the other 

sailors and then the seamen came hurrying on 
deck eager to see the dark 
line in the east. There 
also came on deck a tall, 
fine gentleman in a cap- 
tain’s uniform. This was 
Captain George Vancou- 
ver the man who com- 
manded both ships, and 
who had been sent out on 


Reference Topics. 

Most western cape of 
California. 

Coast of Oregon. 
Cape Fovil weather. 
Mount Olympus. 
Columbia River. 
What is named after 
Vancouver? 

What is the other 
name of Mt. Rainier? 

On what island was 
Nootka ? 


109 



THE SHIPS BEING OVERHAULED IN THE STRAITS OF JUAN DE FUCA. 




VANCOUVER IN THE NORTHWEST. 


Ill 


a voyage of discovery by King George III of 
England. 

Captain Vancouver looked toward the land. 

And so,” he said, “ we are at last on the 
coast of New x\lbion.” 

A gentle breeze was blowing and the weather 
was delightfully pleasant. The shore was an 
unbroken line of cliff, but beyond lay a beau- 
tiful country of hills and valleys, the hills 
covered with forest and the valleys green with 
grass. 

Just as the sun was setting, a high white 
rock, looking like a ship under sail, loomed up 
before them close to the shore. Captain Van- 
couver looked at it and then said, “ iVh, now 
we know where we are. That rock is Cape 
Mendocino.” 

They at once began looking for a harbor, 
but the coast was unbroken save by rocky 
cliffs against which the surf dashed and then 
sprang into the air in great clouds of spray. 

They wished to see every part of the coast, 
so at night the ships lay still and in the morn- 
ing sailed onward. 

One day they passed a point of land that 


II2 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


stretched out into the water, and Vancouver 
named it Point St. George. Another day they 
passed where a dangerous cluster of rocks 
towered into the air, and these they named 
the Dragon Rocks. They sailed for leagues 
in sight of sandy beaches and low shores, and 
then they came in sight of high mountains 
with great valleys lying between. 

As they were passing a high bluff that 
jutted into the sea, a heavy gale came on, and 
the chart showed them that this was the point 
Captain Cook had named Cape Foulweather. 

On the 27th of April they carrie to a place 
where the water changed its color from the 
deep green of the ocean to the light color of river 
water. The weather was clear and a fresh 
breeze was blowing. 

Vancouver looked at the light colored water 
and said, ‘‘It is probably nothing but the water 
of some small stream flowing into the ocean 
through the low-land. The weather is clear 
and the wind is good for sailing, so we will 
waste no time looking for the stream,” and 
they sailed on. Had he stopped and searched 
for that stream he would have discovered the 


VANCOUVER IN THE NORTHWEST. II3 

great Columbia River, and all that part of our 
country drained by its waters, Washington, 
Oregon and Idaho, would to-day belong to 
England. 

That afternoon at four o’clock a sail was 
discovered to the westward. This was a 
strange sight to Vancouver aud his crew, who 
for eight months had not seen a ship save 
their own. As soon as they were near enough 
they hailed the stranger; she raised the 
American flag and saluted by firing a_gun to 
leeward. 

It was Captain Gray and his brave little 
ship Columbia. Vancouver and his officers 
then went on board. Gray told Vancouver 
all about his northern voyage and then bade 
him good-by and sailed on down the coast. 
Two months later he discovered the river that 
Vancouver had passed, and named it the Col- 
umbia, 

Vancouver’s ships sailed on close to the 
coast. They named each little bay or cove, 
each point of land that was not already on 
the charts. They several times saw canoes 
full of Indians rowing toward them and trying 
to hail them, but they did not stop. 


1 14 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

A day or two later they passed Mt. Olympia 
and then on the last day of April they saw “ a 
long low sandy point of land reaching from 
the cliffy shores into the sea and behind 
it a well sheltered bay.” They had found 
the harbor at last, and that night the ships 
anchored in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. 

Next morning began the overhauling of 
the ships. The sails were carried on shore 
to be mended, the powder to be aired, and 
the casks to be examined. Some men were 
set to cutting wood, some to brewing spruce 
beer, and. others to filling casks with water. 
On board the ship they were examining the 
ropes and masts, clearing out the holds, and 
mending the least leak in the sides of the 
ships. 

When all this was done Vancouver said, 
‘‘ We are in a country where no white man 
has ever been before, so we will explore 
every part of this coast and take possession 
of it for King George III of England.” 

Then for weeks they kept the ships lying 
in the harbor of Juan de Fuca, and sent out 
the men in small boats to explore the coast. 


VANCOUVER IN THE NORTHWEST. II5 

Sometimes they took food and water and 
stayed for several days away from the ships, 
sounding the water and making maps of the 
coast. Vancouver gave a name to every im- 
portant place. 

They one day saw a beautiful mountain and 
because Lieutenant Baker first saw it it was 
called Mt. Baker. When they came in sight 
of another fine snow-clad mountain Vancouver 
named it Mt. Rainier after a great English- 
man who was his friend. 

At first very few Indians were seen, and those 
were shy, but as soon as they saw that Van- 
couver and his men meant no harm to them 
they came about the ships in numbers. They 
traded their bows and arrows for bits of copper, 
buttons and hawk-bells, and when they had 
nothing left to trade they tried to steal what- 
ever happened to please them. 

One day one of them was watching an Eng- 
lishman eat and was so amused that he asked 
for the knife and fork and tried to eat with them 
himself. Then when he thought the man was 
not looking he hid them under his shirt. The 
Englishman pointed to where they were and 



VANCOUVER TRADING V^ITH INDIANS. 



VANCOUVER IN THE NORTHWEST. II7 

held out his hand, whereupon the Indian 
laughed and gave back the knife and fork. 

Vancouver knew that however friendly the 
Indians appeared to be they might change at 
any time so he bade the men always to keep 
the guns ready, and when the boats were sent 
out to explore the coast, he made them take 
many guns and plenty of powder and shot ; 
still he always said, “ But you give no cause 
for trouble.’’ 

One day one of the officers named Mr. 
Puget was with only a few men when he saw 
a canoe full of Indians making toward them. 
‘‘ Rest oars,” he said to the men, “ and let the 
Indians come up with us.” 

But the Indians stopped quite a long way 
from the boat, and though Mr. Puget made 
friendly signs, offered them copper medals and 
bells and beads they would not come nearer. 
Then Mr. Puget fastened the presents to a 
piece of wood, set them afloat in the water and 
sailed off a short distance. 

The Indians talked among themselves and 
then came and picked up the presents. Then 
Mr. Puget fixed some more trinkets in the 


ti8 western series of readers. 

same way and again the Indians came and got 
them. When he had done this three times, 
they ventured up to the boat, but they did not 
seem friendly and would not trade. 

When Mr. Puget tried to ask them a ques- 
tion they would only say “Poo! Pool” and 
point to an island where the English had shot 
some birds that morning. They soon left the 
boat. About noon Mr. Puget and his men 
landed to eat dinner, and while they were still 
preparing it, they saw six canoes full of Ind- 
ians come paddling into the cove and make for 
the boats. 

“ I fear we are going to have trouble,” said 
Mr. Puget, and he went toward the Indians 
and drew a line on the beach and made signs 
to them that they must not cross it. The 
Indians understood this as it was their own 
way of telling the English not to come near. 

Soon another canoe joined the others and 
then the Englishmen saw three canoes little 
by little stealing toward the boats. Mr. Puget 
walked down to the shore and motioned they 
go back and they obeyed quickly. 

Still another canoe full of Indians came up, 


VANCOUVER IN THE NORTHWEST. II9 

and then they all jumped from their canoes 
and strung their bows and mounted arrows 
and moved toward the English. 

The English pointed their guns and the In- 
dians paused. Then the English went slowly to 
their boats, taking care never to turn their backs 
to the Indians. The Indians talked among 
themselves and sharpened their arrows and 
spears on stones as they talked. 

The English could not sail out of the cove 
without passing near the Indians. “We must 
frighten them,’’ said Mr. Puget, “ so fire, but 
don’t hit anyone.” The English pointed their 
guns away from the Indians. “Ready, fire!” 
said Mr. Puget. Bang 1 went the guns. 

Instantly the Indians unstrung their bows 
and began making peace signs. In a few 
minutes they entered their canoes and paddled 
up to the English boats as if they were old-time 
friends, and traded their bows and arrows for 
bells, knives and copper, and not until evening 
did they leave the boats. 

For weeks Vancouver lingered on the north- 
west coast in the region of the Straits of Juan 
de Fuca. The mate, Mr. Puget, explored a 


120 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


fine sound lying south, and for him Vancouver 
named it Puget Sound. A good port was 
-called Port Townshend in honor of the noble 
Marquis of Townshend in England ; and an 
island, bleak and bare, was called Desolation 
Island. 

“ On the King’s birthday,” said Vancou- 
ver, — “ which is the 4th of Juue — I will take 
possession of this country for the English 
Crown.” 

The 4th of June came. The ships were 
all decked out with flags and pennants. A 
holiday was declared and a fine dinner was 
given to the men and all drank the King’s 
health. 

Then Vancouver and a body of men went 
ashore. Dressed in his glittering uniform, 
with the English flag flying over him, Van- 
couver declared the coast along which he 
had sailed, and all the land lying back of 
it, to belong to King George III of 
England, and that that great gulf by which 
they stood should be called the Gulf of Georgia 
in his honor. 

Then the men cheered, the cannon from the 


VANCOUVER IN THE NORTHWEST. 


I2I 


ships roared a salute, and thus another great 
part of North America became English 
ground. 

After three months Vancouver ordered the 
vessels to sail on up the coast to Nootka. 
Slowly they moved onward, examining the 
coast as they went. 

One day they came to a long, narrow 
channel. Vancouver was anxious to get to 
Nootka, but he was also anxious to let no 
part of the coast go unexplored. It would be 
safer to send the small boats in, but it would 
take longer, so he decided to go in with the 
ships. 

A light breeze swept them into the chan- 
nel, but was quickly followed by a calm and a 
heavy fog that shut everything from sight 
and left the ships at the mercy of the cur- 
rents. Anxiously they waited as the ships 
moved onward hoping against hope to get 
safely out. 

At last the fog began to break, a light breeze 
sprang up, and Vancouver thought they were 
about out of danger when a shiver ran the 
whole length of the ship, followed by a grating. 


122 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


grinding sound, a cry from the seamen and 
the Discovery was swept upon a sunken ledge 
of rocks. 

Instantly a signal for help was made to the 
Chatham and her boats came flying across the 
waters, but before they could reach the Dis- 
covery a heavy sea struck her and threw her 
full on her side. 

“Heave the anchor! Get out the shoars!” 
roared Vancouver. 

Over went the anchor, but it came back. 
There was no sand to hold it. Hurriedly the 
shoars were out and under the masts, but even 
then only three inches of plank kept the sea 
from rushing into the hold. Something else 
must be done. 

“ Throw overboard the ballast 1 ” shouted the 
captain, and even as he spoke the men ran to 
obey. 

“ Over with the fuel 1 ” and they began 
heaving the wood into the sea. 

For hours they worked like demons, dread- 
ing every wave lest the ship be swept to 
destruction. Just as the last hope seemed 
gone the breeze went down and left the water 
with scarcely a ripple. 


VANCOUVER IN THE NORTHWEST. 1 23 

Darkness came on. The night settled and 
still the ship lay on the rocks. Vancouver 
and his men wondered if they would ever again 
see England. Then slowly the tide came 
back. About twelve o’clock that night a joy- 
ful cry rang, out, “ The shoars are floating ! 
The shoars are floating ! ” It was true. The 
ship was righting, but so slowly they had not 
been able to notice it. At two she was almost 
upright. 

‘‘ Heave the cable astern !” shouted Van- 
couver. Done, and with scarcely a strain 
the Discovery floated off the reef, sound as 
ever, and they sailed on in safety. 

For three years Vancouver stayed on the 
American coast, exploring all that he could. 
He discovered the great island that is to- 
day known as Vancouver’s Island, and had 
many adventures of which you shall read 
another time. 

Before he got back to England he died, 
but he is remembered as a great and good 


man. 


124 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS 


BLACKBOARD WORDS. 


Ad veil t vires 
de ligrlit fill ly 
Col vim l)i a 
shears 
sa lute 
grlit ter iiig: 


Van cou ver 
dan g:er ous 
o ver haul ing: 
hal last 
ca noe 
brew ing 


u ni form 
hoi i day 
lieu ten ant 
trill kets 
de strive tion 
gale 



CAPTAIN COOK AND THE NORTHWEST 
PASSAGE. 


LESSON L 


THE CHOICE OF CAPTAIN COOK. 



ECAUSE it was so very far for 
the people of Europe to sail their 
ships around Africa to India, they 
were for hundreds of years looking 
for a northwest passage between 
the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. 

In the year 1776 the Earl of Sandwich, a 
great lord of England, got permission from 
the King, George III, to send out two more 
ships to search for this 
passage. The King said 
he might send ships if he 
would be sure to find a 
good captain for them. 

The greatest captain in 
the world at that time was 
Captain James Cook. He 


Reference Topics. 

Wliat strait near lat- 
itude 65 degrees? 

Where is Kamchat- 
ka? 

What are the Sand- 
wich Islands now? 
How large? How far 
away? 


125 


126 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


had already sailed on two great voyages, and 
had discovered many new lands. But because 
he had already done so much they did not like 
to ask him to go again ; however, no one 
else would do so well. So the Earl made up 
his mind to talk with Captain Cook and see 
how he felt about going. 

The Earl made a fine dinner party and 
invited Captain Cook and some other great 
men. When they were all sitting at the 
table the Earl began talking about the north- 
west passage. He told how far it was to 
sail around Africa and how much more quickly 
they might go to India if ships could get 
through north of America, and how gladly 
the King would send the ships. 

“ But,” said he, “ we do not know of any 
one who will do for captain. We cannot ask 
our great Captain Cook, — he has already 
done so mnch.” 

But Captain Cook loved the sea, and when 
he thought what a fine thing it wonld be to 
find the northwest passage, he did just what 
the Earl of Sandwich hoped he would do, — he 
sprang to his feet and said eagerly : 


THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE. 127 

“ If it shall please his Majesty the King, 
and your noble Lordship, I will undertake 
this voyage.” 

It took five months to get the ships ready. 
When about to sail the Bari gave Captain 
Cook a sealed letter, and said : 

‘‘ Read this when you are out upon the 
ocean, and it will tell you exactly what you 
are to do.” 

On the iith of July, 1776, the two ships, 
the Resolution and the Discovery^ sailed from 
Plymouth Sound, England. When they were 
far out upon the water Captain Cook opened 
the letter, and this is what it said : 

“ When you reach the coast of New Albion* 
you are to put into the first good harbor and 
get wood and water and whatever else you 
can find there that you need. 

“ Then sail northward along the coast as far 
as latitude 65° or further if you are not kept 
back by land or ice. There you are carefully to 
seek and explore any large rivers or inlets that 
may seem to point toward Hudson Bay or 
toward Baffin’s Bay. If there shall seem to be 

*Sir Francis Drake had named California New Albion. 


128 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


even a chance of a water passage into either 
of these bays you are to use your ntmost 
efforts to pass through. 

“ In case you should feel sure that there 
is no passage through to either of these bays 
you are at the proper season of the year to go 
to the port of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in 
Kamchatka to refresh your people and pass 
the winter. 

“ In the spring of the next year you are 
to go from there northward as far as you 
may think it safe in further search of a 
northwest passage from the Pacific into the 
Atlantic Ocean. 

“ After you have discovered such a passage 
or have failed to discover it, you are to make 
your way back to England. 

“ At whatever places you may touch in 
course of your voyage, you are carefully to 
note the true situation of such places. You 
are to make maps and take views of the bays, 
harbors, and different parts of the coast. You 
are to observe carefully the kind of soil, the 
plants that grow there, and the .animals 
and fowls that live there ; and if you find any 


THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE. 1 29 

metals or minerals or valuable stones you are 
to bring borne specimens of them. 

‘‘ Also you are to collect the seeds of such 
trees, shrubs, plants, fruits, grains, as you 
may find in those place and send them home 
to us. 

“ You are likewise toobserve the temper, and 
appearance, and dispostion of the people where 
you find any. And you must try by all proper 
means to become friendly with them. Give 
them presents of such trinkets as they may 
like best, invite them to trade, and show 
every kindness. But take care not to suffer 
yourself to be surprised by them.’’ 




CAPTAIN COOK UNDING ON THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. 


THE NORTHWESr PASSAGE. 


I31 


LESSON II. 

THE DISCOVERY OF THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. 



the ships were sailing through 
the Pacific, Sunday morning, Jan- 
uary 18, 1778, Captain Cook saw 
a large island in the distance ; 
soon another was seen, and the 
next day a third. A fine breeze was blowing 
and the Captain ordered the ships to sail di- 
rectly toward the islands. He knew he had 
made a great discovery. 

Here were three great islands lying about 
half way between China and America. 
“ Now,” thought he, “ ships sailing to Asia 
will be able to get fresh water and wood and 
food, and the voyages will be far easier than 
ever before.” 

Captain Cook was more pleased than we 
can think. 

“ These islands shall belong to the King of 
England,” he said, “ and in honor of his good 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

Lordship, the Earl of Sandwich, they shall 
be called the Sandwich Islands?'' 

As the ships neared the islands many 
people came down to the shore and jumped 
into canoes and paddled to the ships. The 
captain tried to get them to come on board, 
but they were afraid. Captain Cook tied 
some brass medals to a rope which he gave 
to those who were in one of the canoes; 
and they in turn fastened some mackerel to 
the rope. Then he tied some small nails and 
pieces of iron to the rope and gave to them. 
They in exchange gave more fish and a sweet 
potato. 

“ They were a stout people with a brown 
complexion. Most of them had their hair 
cropped rather short; a few had it tied in a 
bunch at the top of the head, and others let it 
flow loose. It seemed to be naturally black, 
but some of them had it stained a brownish 
color. Most of them had pretty long beards. 
Some of them were tattooed on the hands. 
The piece of cloth that they wore around the 
waist was oddly colored white, black and red. 

‘‘ When at last a few got courage to go on 


THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE. 1 33 

board the ship, they were overcome with 
surprise at what they saw. Their eyes roved 
from one object to another, and their wild 
looks and motions showed that they had never 
before seen a ship nor a white man.” 

Before coming on board some of them would 
repeat a long prayer, while others sang and 
made strange motions with their hands. 
When they first came on board they took any- 
thing they saw as if they thought the people 
on the ship would not care. The sailors took 
such things away from them again. Then 
they tried to steal things. The sailors 
watched them closely. 

One man stole a cleaver, leaped overboard, 
scrambled into his canoe, and pulled for the 
shore. Captain Cook sent some men after 
him in a boat but he went so fast that they 
could not catch him. 

Captain Cook wanted to visit the shore that 
afternoon. 

“ I will go and see,” he said, “ whether 
these people are good-natured.” 

A large number of the people were gathered 
on a sandy beach. The moment he leaped on 


134 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

shore all the islanders fell upon their faces 
and did not move until the captain made signs 
for them to rise. 

Then they gave him many small pigs and 
plantains, always making a long prayer first. 
Captain Cook gave them some presents and 
then made signs that he wanted some fresh 
water. Some of the islanders led him at once 
to a small lake where the water was very good. 
The next morning when Captain Cook and 
his men brought casks on shore to fill with 
water the islanders met them and rolled the 
casks to the lake. 

They brought pigs, fowl, plantains and 
sweet potatoes to trade with Captain Cook for 
bits of iron and big nails. One day they 
brought a cloak and cap made of the 
most beautiful red and yellow feathers, so 
smooth and glossy that it looked like velvet. 
This beautiful cloak and cap they gave for a 
few large nails ! 

For more than two weeks Captain Cook 
stayed at the Sandwich Islands. Then, hav- 
ing found out all he could about the islands 
and the people, he supplied his ship with fresh 
water and vegetables, and sailed on for 
America. 


THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE. 


135 


LESSON III. 



CAPTAIN COOK ON THE NORTHWEST COAST. 

more than a month the Res- 
olution and the Discovery sailed 
on through the Pacific without 
a sign of land. About the first 
of the month Captain Cook be- 
gan to look at his chart often. 

- “We must be near the land,” he said, “and 
we are far to the north, yet it is not cold.” 

Two days later a couple of large birds came 
flying toward them and settled 011 the ship. 

“ Good ! ” said Captain Cook, “ that means 
land.” 

The sixth of March they saw several whales 
and two seals, and the next morning just as 
day dawned the watchman looked off across 
the water and shouted : 

“Land ho!” 

Everybody rushed on deck: yes, there was 
land I They had reached the coast of New 
Albion at last I 


136 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

They at once began to look for a harbor, 
but the coast seemed unbroken. For many 
days more they sailed on with the land always 
in sight. It was a high land with hills and 
valleys, and covered with trees many of which 
were tall and straight. 

One day they came to a high hill on a point 
of land that ran out into the water. After 
they had passed this point a heavy storm 
came on, so Captain Cook named this point 
Cape Foulweather. 

From now on the weather was bad. It 
rained and hailed, and the wind blew so hard 
that the ships dared not stay near the land for 
fear of being dashed against the rocks, so 
they put out to sea. Yet whenever the wind 
went down they came back and sailed close to 
the land. Still they found no harbor. 

The land they saw now was covered with 
snow and looked cold and bleak. Again a 
great gale came up, and again they had to put 
out to sea to save the ship from being driven 
upon the shore. So it went on for days, 
wind and storm, storm and wind; hurrying 
out to sea when the wind grew high,' and com- 


THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE. 1 37 

ing back and looking anxiously for a harbor 
when it had ceased. 

At last the face of the coast changed, and 
lofty, snow-clad mountains came in sight. 
The valleys between them, and the land to- 
ward the coast were covered with high, straight 
trees that looked like a yast forest. Soon they 
saw two long points of land running out into 
the water, and between those two points lay a 
large bay. 

“ I hope,” said Captain Cook, “ it will be a 
good harbor.” 

And when he found it was, he named it 
Hope Bay. 

Right gladly the men turned the ship to 
sail into the harbor, but just as the Resolu- 
tion sailed around the point the wind went 
down and the ship lay helpless in the water. 
Captain Cook looked toward the land. 

“ We must get anchored to-night,” he said, 
“ Get ready to tow the ships in.” 

Then all the boats were lowered, a long, 
strong rope was tied to the ship and then 
tied to the boats, and the men got into them 
and rowed hard, and thus pulled the ship into 
Hope Bay. 


138 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

As they neared the land they saw many 
Indians gazing at them from the shore, and 
soon three canoes come off to the ship. As 
these drew near, an Indian in one of them 
stood up and began speaking to the strangers 
in a loud voice, and waved his hands as if 
inviting them to come ashore. He spoke a 
long time, always strewing handfuls of feath- 
ers toward the ships, while some of his com- 
panions threw a red powder in the same way. 

This Indian was clothed with the skin of 
some animal, and held something in his hand 
which rattled as he shook it. At length he 
grew tired and became quiet. Then the 
others spoke, but their speeches were neither 
so long nor so earnest as that of the first. 

Soon many more canoes full of people put off 
and crowded about the ships. Some of the 
Indians had small white feathers stuck in 
their hair, and others had large ones. Every 
little while some Indian would stand up and 
make a long speech while the others sang a 
soft, pretty song, singing the word, haela, 
haela^ haela^ over and over again. 

Captain Cook could not get any of them to 


THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE. 1 39 

come aboard the ships, but when he offered to 
trade with them they were pleased to do so. 
They brought skins of sea-otters, wolves, foxes, 
deer and raccoons. They brought garments 
also made from these beautiful skins and sold 
them for bits of iron, nails, chisels or look- 
ing-glasses. 

Now that his ships were in a safe harbor 
Captain Cook told his carpenters to overhaul 
them. They found several places ready to 
leak, and two masts so rotten that they were 
almost falling to pieces. 

The men had to go ashore to cut down trees 
for new masts, and for twenty-six days the 
ships lay in Hope Bay while the men worked 
hard to get them ready for sea. 

The Indians soon got over their fears, and 
every day spent much time on board. They 
stole every bit of iron they could lay their 
hands on, and no matter how closely they 
might be watched they would still get away 
with things. When Captain Cook would tell 
them that something had been stolen they 
would very often tell on the thief, and seemed 
to think it great fun when Captain Cook 
made him give up what he had taken. 



THE INDIAN MAKING CAPTAIN COOK PAY FOR HIS GRASS. 




THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE. 141 

One day Captain Cook went ashore with 
men to cut grass. They had scarcely begun 
to cut it when an Indian came up and 
motioned to them that it was his grass, and 
said, “ Makook^'' which meant that they must 
pay for it. The Captain gave him a nail and 
he went away, leaving the men to cut the 
grass. Again they began cutting when 
another Indian came up to say the grass was 
his, so the Captain bought it from him. Very 
soon came yet a third Indian and said that it 
was his grass, and a third time the Captain 
bought it. So it went on until Captain Cook 
had given everything in his pockets. When 
the Indians saw that he had nothing more to 
give them they let him cut all the grass he 
wanted. 

Captain Cook had with him an artist named 
Mr. Webber who made drawings of every in- 
teresting thing he saw. One day he wished 
to make a picture of the inside of an Indian’s 
house. The Indian let him begin but very 
soon motioned to him to go away. Mr. 
Webber cut a brass button off his coat and 
gave it to the Indian. The Indian let him go 


142 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

on with the drawing a little longer and then 
again motioned him to go away. Mr. Webber 
cut off another button. The Indian took it and 
let him go on with the drawing again. But after 
a little while he once more motioned him to go 
away. Mr. Webber cut off another button. 
When Mr. Webber had no more buttons left 
the Indian let him draw without bothering 
him more. 

All summer the two ships sailed up the 
coast of North America. As soon as they 
reached latitude 65° the search for the north- 
west passage began. In and out of every 
bay and inlet went the ships, and maps were 
made of every bit of the coast they explored. 

Whenever they came to an arm of water 
reaching into the land they said, 

“ Now, perhaps, we have found it !’^ 

And in went the ships. If the water-way was 
not large enough for the ships the small boats 
sailed in. Captain Cook never gave up ; he 
was never discouraged. He always said : 

“The next time we may find it.” 

And so they sailed on. 

At last great icebergs came floating down 


THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE. 


H3 


past the ships. Every day it grew colder ; 
the darkness came on more quickly. There 
were soon so many icebergs that the ships 
could scarcely sail among them. Then it was 
all ice. Captain Cook knew that he could go 
no further, so he turned the ships about and 
sailed off to the Sandwich Islands. 

He wrote down everything he had learned 
about the country and the people and the 
animals and plants. He explored more than 
three thousand miles of the northwest coast 
so carefully, and made such good maps, that 
all who • sailed there afterwards knew just 
where to go, but he never found the northwest 
passage. 


BLACKBOARD WORDS. 


Spec i mens 
pas sage 
tern per 
ap pear aiice 
cleav er 
veg: e ta bles 
gar ments 


res o lu tioii 
maj es ty 
clis po si tioii 
tat tooed 
plan tains 
casks 

car pen ters 


val u a ble 
bar bor 
lat i tude 
com pi ex ion 
is land er 
rac coons 
ice bergs 



T-H-K€fsJ' 


McKenzie starts on voyage. 



ALEXANDER McKENZIE AND HIS BIRCH 
CANOE. 



N the northwestern part of British 
Columbia is a large lake called 
Lake of the Hills ^ and north of 
it is one still larger called Slave 
Lake. From Lake of the Hills to Slave Lake 
flows a river, and from Slave Lake another 
river large and strong flows on to the Arctic 
Ocean. 

More than a hundred years ago there stood 
on the shore of Lake of the Hills a little 
English trading post, Fort Chepewyan, and 
here lived a brave, strong 
man, named Alexander 
McKenzie. 

McKenzie said, ‘‘We 
have come here to Fort 
Chepewyan from the At- 
lantic Ocean; now, if I 
could find a way from 


Reference Topics. 

I.ake of the Hills. 
Slave hake. 

Fort CliepeAvyan. 
Waterway from Fort 
Chepewyan to Atlantic. 

hatitude of mouth of 
McKenzie. 

Porcupine. 

Hedgehog:. 

Moccasins. 


145 


146 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

here to the western ocean, it would give ns a 
water-way entirely across America.” Then he 
thought of the great river that flows north- 
ward from Slave Lake, and said : 

“ I believe that river flows to the sea. I 
will explore it and And out.” 

He knew it was a dangerous undertaking. 
He could not go in a flue ship with many 
sailors and plenty of food as did the explorers 
who went off on the ocean. He must go in a 
birch canoe with only a few Indians to help 
him. He must take but a little food and a 
few blankets, because more would make the 
canoe too heavy. He must sail on a river 
where dangerous rapids might dash his boat 
to pieces. He must go through a country 
where were wild Indians who had never seen 
a white man. He might even lose his life. 
He knew all this, but he was brave, and went 
just the same. 

Wednesday, June 3, 1789, McKenzie and 
his men left Fort Chepewyan at nine o’clock 
in the morning, and sailed off on Lake of the 
Hills in their birch canoe. Behind them came 
two small canoes in which were Indians. 


THE EXPLORATIONS OF McKENZiE. 1 47 

Guns, blankets, food and medicine were in 
the canoes, and also hatchets, knives and 
beads to give to the Indians whom they should 
meet. 

All day they sailed across Lake of the 
Hills, and as night came on they entered the 
river that flows to Slave Lake, and landed to 
camp on shore. Early next morning they 
were afloat again, and two days they sailed 
merrily down the river. It 'was a fine pleasure 
excursion. All at once the river began to 
flow more swift, then to boil and foam, and 
would surely have dashed the canoes to 
pieces. 

“Put for the shore!” shouted Captain 
McKenzie, “ Carry boats and baggage over 
that hill and launch below the rapids.” 

All obeyed but one Indian woman who 
kept on in her canoe through the rushing 
water. For a little while she kept the light 
boat clear of the rocks and whirlpools, then 
the water seized it, spun it round and round, 
and broke it upon a sharp rock. The woman 
swam and scrambled to the shore, and reached 
it with her life. The other canoes and the 


148 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


baggage were carried over the hill and 
launched again in safety below the rapids. 

Several days they sailed down the river. 
Every night they camped on shore, and the 
Indians went hunting in the woods for game, 
or spread nets in the river to catch fish. It 
was not always pleasant sailing. One day a 
great storm came up. The sky grew black 
and the wind swept down as if it would blow 
the canoes over. McKenzie ordered his men 
to land and pitch camp, and then the rain 
poured down upon them. The lightning 
flashed and the thunder crashed and rolled 
first on one side and then on the other as 
if there had been a fearful battle in the sky. 

They reached Slave Lake, and on the twen- 
tieth da}^ McKenzie wrote letters to his people 
telling all that had happened so far on the 
journey and sent them back. 

One evening as they were looking out for 
a place to pitch the camp they came to a high 
hill. 

“ It is just what I wish,” said McKenzie, 
“ to climb that hill and see how the country 
lies.” 


THE EXPLORATIONS OF McKENZIE. 149 

He took two or three men with him and 
they climbed to the top. What was their dis- 
may to find themselves suddenly fallen upon 
by swarms of mosquitoes which formed a cloud 
about them. The men took one glance around, 
but they could not enjoy the scene, and they 
ran down the hill again. 

One evening they saw several smokes ahead 
of them on the river and paddled hard to reach 
them. As they drew near they saw Indians 
running about in great fright. Some made 
for the woods, others jumped into their canoes 
and paddled off. McKenzie’s Indians sprang 
to land and began talking to the few who had 
not been able to get away. They were so 
frightened that they could not understand 
anything, but made signs for McKenzie to 
keep back. 

McKenzie unloaded his canoes and pre- 
tended not to notice the Indians. After a while 
he offered them some rugs, beads and bright 
garters, and they so far got over their fear 
that they went after those that had run away 
and brought them back. When he saw they 
were all no longer frightened, McKenzie made 


150 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

them understand that he was going down the 
river to the sea, and wished them to tell him 
about it. 

“ No, no ! ” the Indians cried out to him, 
“ you can never do it. It would take many 
winters to reach the sea, and old age would 
come upon you before you would return. 
Between here and the sea dwell monsters of 
such terrible shapes that an Indian who looks 
upon them must close his eyes and open them 
no more. The eyes of the white man may be 
strong enough to look at them without clos- 
ing, but his arm could not conquer them. 
White man, they would kill you ; do not 
go! ” 

The very thought of these terrible monsters 
so frightened McKenzie’s Indians that they 
begged him to give up going any further. 

“ Let us go back ! ” they cried. “ Even if the 
monsters do not kill us, there are no geese, 
nor deer, nor beavers to hunt in that country, 
and we shall die of hunger.” 

“ No,” said McKenzie, “ these monsters will 
not even show themselves to a white man, and 
you shall not starve. We will go on to the 


sea. 


THE EXPLORATIONS OF McKENZiE. 151 

After supper McKenzie and his men seated 
themselves around the camp-fire and the 
strange Indians danced for them. They 
formed a ring and began crooning a slow 
song, moving in time to it and leaping about 
in queer positions, and sometimes howling in 
imitation of different anilnals. The Indian 
who kept dancing longest they said had done 
the best. 

When McKenzie was ready to go on he 
gave the Indians more presents and then 
talked with them about his journey. 

“ I want to get one of you to go with me 
and guide me down the river,” he said. 

The Indians at first were silent, then one of 
them said gravely, “We do not want you to 
go, much less do we want to go ourselves.” 

“ But,” said McKenzie, “ I must have a 
guide, and one of you will have to go with 
me.’’ 

McKenzie said this in such a tone that the 
Indians felt they must obey. One of them 
said very sadly : 

“ I will go, white man, but I fear I shall 
never come back.” 


152 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

Then very slowly and sadly he cut ofif a 
lock of his hair, and carefully divided it into 
three parts. “Come hither,” he called to his 
wife and children, and they gathered about 
him. 

He then tied one part of the lock of hair to the 
top of his wife’s head, and blew upon it three 
times with all his might. In the same way 
he fastened one of the other parts to the head 
of each of his children and blew upon them 
as hard as he could. 

“ I am ready to go now,” he said, but he 
felt very unready. 

McKenzie and his men took to their canoes 
again, and the next evening they came to some 
more camp-fires and saw the Indians running 
in all directions except an old man and an old 
woman that could not run. 

“ Do not hurt us ! ” the old man cried out 
as they came near, “ Do not hurt us ! I do not 
fear death, but spare my people!” And he 
began pulling out his hair in great handfuls 
and offering it to McKenzie and his men. 

McKenzie soon calmed his fears. 

“ Neither your life, nor that of any of your 


THE EXPLORATIONS OF McKENZiE. 1 53 

people is in any danger from us,” he said 
kindly. And see, we have brought all these 
presents to show that we are friends.” 

The old man and his companion seemed 
dazzled at sight of the beads, knives and 
rings. They hastened into the woods calling 
those who had run away and soon were seen 
returning with them. 

As they gathered around eager to receive 
their presents, McKenzie saw that they were 
all clumsy and ill-fed looking Indians and not 
at all clean. Some had hair of great length, 
others had just one long lock hanging down 
behind and the rest of their hair cut short so 
as to show their ears. Each of the men had 
two double lines of blue or black tattooed 
across his face from nose to ear and wore a 
goose-quill or a bit of wood stuck through his 
nose in order to make him look more beautiful. 

The Indians took the beads, knives and 
rings with many smiles and showed them to 
one another as if they had been so many chil- 
dren, and soon they could not do enough to 
prove their love for McKenzie. 

The Indian cooks began to get supper and 


^54 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


had fish and rabbit which much refreshed the 
weary travelers. Then the Indians sang songs 
for them and danced until it was bed time. 
They were dressed in long reindeer or moose- 
skin shirts which reached to the knees and 
were trimmed with a deep fringe, and they had 
long leggings of skin to which the moccasins 
upon their feet were fastened. 

Some Indians had more beautiful shirts 
embroidered with porcupine or hedgehog quills 
and with moose hairs colored red, black, yel- 
low or white. They wore wooden bracelets, 
or bracelets of horn or bone, and around the 
head a narrow strip of leather embroidered 
with porcupine quills and ornamented with 
the claws of birds and bears. Their bows were 
as long as themselves and the arrows half as 
long as the bows, and besides these they had 
spears, daggers and clubs. They had made 
their spear-heads and arrowheads of bone, 
horn, flint, copper or iron. 

The dance and the songs were over, and 
McKenzie and his men were all ready to roll 
themselves in their blankets and fall asleep, 
when the Indian whom they had taken as 


THE EXPLORATIONS OF McKENZiE. 1 55 

their ^iiide seemed to be very sick. He lay 
upon the ground and moaned. McKenzie 
bent over him. 

I am dying,” he said in a weak voice. 
“ My spirit will go back to my people.” 

“ You must not leave us,” said McKenzie, 
who had met with such homesickness before. 
In the morning they found that the guide had 
gone. He had stolen away in the night to 
go back to his people. McKenzie compelled 
one of the new Indians to go with him in 
place of the guide. 

For several days they sailed on, often 
drenched through by the blinding rain which 
the wind swept down against them amid 
thunder and lightning. They came to 
another camp of Indians and stopped to visit 
them, asking how far it was to the sea and 
what people lived by the way. 

Do not go,” answered one of the Indians, 
“ the people at the mouth of the river are 
fierce and evil ; they are as tall as giants, and 
have wings although they do not fly.” 

“ They would eat you, white man,” added 
another, “ for a large beaver makes but a meal 


156 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


for one of them ; and they have power to strike 
you dead with a look. Do not go!” 

McKenzie began to ask them many ques- 
tions, but they did nothing but warn him of 
monsters and terrible dangers, until at last he 
pretended to become angry. 

“ You are not telling me the truth,” he 
said, “ and if you do not at once tell me all 
you know about this river and this country I 
will make one of you go with me to-morrow to 
show me the way!” 

On hearing this the Indians all became very 
sick, and answered in very weak voices that 
they knew no more than they had already 
told, and that they should die if he took them 
away. 

When McKenzie arose in the morning he 
found that nearly all of them had run away 
in the night, and those that had stayed pre- 
tended to be almost dead with their sickness. 
McKenzie assured them that he would not 
take any of them away, and they all instantly 
got well. 

From the start McKenzie had been closely 
watching the course of the river, always hoping 


THE EXPLORATIONS OF McKENZIE. 1 57 

it would turn westward and flow into the 
Pacific Ocean; but the river flowed steadily 
north, and at last he knew it must empty into 
the Arctic Ocean, and one day he reached the 
sea. 

It was summer in this northern country. 
The days had been growing longer as the 
travelers drifted down the stream and now the 
sun no longer set but circled around the sky, 
and it was always day in this strange land. 
Wherever there was water it was covered over 
with ice; wherever there was a little spot of 
earth it was beautiful with flowers and green 
grass. 

Around the islands along the coast the 
water was very shallow, the great sheets of ice 
stretched away as far as the eye could see. 
The soil four inches below the surface was 
frozen hard, but upon it the flowers and 
grass were growing as if there were no such 
thing as frost. Fish were swimming in the 
water, and some birds flew past. No Indians 
were to be seen, but the men came upon a few 
deserted huts and a grave by which lay a 
paddle, a bow and a spear. 


158 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

Out in the ocean next morning they saw a 
great many whales, and without stopping to 
think of the danger McKenzie and his men 
pushed off the birch canoe and gave chase. 
A heavy fog settled down, so that they soon 
had to return. 

Then McKenzie ordered a post to be set up, 
and on it he cut his name, the latitude, and the 
number of people he had with him. He had 
done all he could. He had traveled through 
a country where no white man had been be- 
fore him ; he had forever proved that there 
is no water-way between Hudson Bay nor 
Baffin’s Bay and the Pacific Ocean ; he had 
explored a great, unknown river which to-day 
bears his name and is called the McKenzie 
River, 

The birch canoes were turned around, and 
the homeward voyage made in safety. 


BLACKBOARD WORDS. 


Med i cine 
in slant ly 
croon ingr 
pitch 
bea vers 
di rec tions 
por cu pine 


whirl pools 
un der tak ing 
inos qui toes 
mon sters 
im i ta tion 
re freshed 
inoc ca sins 


pre tend ed 
ein broid ered 
launched 
fringe 
howl ing 
rein deer 


THE STORY OF CAPTAIN GRAY. 


I. 


THE PLAN OF THE MERCHANTS. 



ORE than a hundred years ago 
in the city of Boston there were 
^ six merchants talking together. 
They were very rich men, but 
they wanted to be still more rich. They had 
heard that far off in the northwest by the great 
Pacific Ocean was a strange country, all 
covered with ice and snow and forests. 

In the forests and in the cold waters lived 
strange animals with beautiful soft fur to 
keep them warm. And the Indians who lived 
in this country wore these 
fine skins for clothing, 
and had great numbers 
of them that they would 
sell for almost nothing. 

So these merchants said, 


Reference Topics. 

Nicaragua Canal. 
Cape Horn. 

Gray’s Harbor. 
China. 

Canton. 

Columbia Kiver. 


159 


i6o 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


“ Well, let US ^end some ships out there, and 
find out about this country ! We might get 
a lot of those fine skins to sell.” 

So they fitted out two ships. One was the 
Lady Washington. Her captain was John 
Kendrick. The other was the Columbia., 
and her captain was Robert Gray. 

They put on the ships barrels full of blank- 
ets, beads and knives, hammers and hatchets. 
They also took yards and yards of red and 
yellow cloth, because they knew that the In- 
dians liked such things. 

They said to Captain Gray, “ Get all the 
skins you can, and take them to China and 
sell them. Find out everything you can about 
the country, and write down everything that 
happens, and come back and tell us all about 
it.” 

On the last day of October, in the year 
1789, Gray sailed out of Boston Harbor for 
the strange new land thousands of miles 
away. 

In those days the only way they knew to 
reach the west coast was to go around South 
America. It was a long way, as you can see 


the story of captain gray. l6l 

by looking at the map, and at that time ships 
could not go nearly so fast as they can now. 
So it was not until April that Gray rounded 
Cape Horn and sailed into the Pacific Ocean. It 
was August before he reached that part of our 
coast that we call California. 


II. 

MURDERER’S HARBOR. 

Gray said to his men, “ We will sail close 
to the land, and whenever we come to a place 
where our ships can be safe we will go on 
shore. I want to know all about this coun- 
try.” 

As they sailed along ten Indians came out 
in a canoe to greet the strangers. Gray gave 
them some beads and they went back well 
pleased. 

At last they thought they saw a deep bay 
and sailed for the land. But when they got near 
enough they found it was only a valley be- 
tween hills, so they stood out to sea again. 


i 62 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


Then they came to a dangerous reef, but 
they got around it safely and once more headed 
toward the land. This time they really found 
a deep bay. Gray sent out some men in a boat 
to find out all about it, but when they came 
near the shore many Indians, armed with bows 
and arrows, gathered on the shore, so the men 
had to go back to the ship. 

They sailed on up the coast for another 
week seeing nothing but high cliffs. They 
came to a good bay. The ship sailed into it, 
and at last they set foot on land. They had 
been nine long months on the ocean. 

In a short time many Indians came to meet 
them. They seemed glad to see the white 
strangers, and gave them crabs and berries. 
Captain Gray gave them some beads and bells 
in return and they were greatly pleased. 

He made them understand that he wanted 
skins and they brought many that were very 
beautiful, and traded them with him for 
kinives and hatchets and bits of copper. 

The sailors brought wood from the shore 
and filled the barrels on the ship with fresh 
water. The ship was now ready to go on, but 


THE STORY OF CAPTAIN GRAY. 163 

the tide was out and there was not water 
enough in the bay for her to sail over the 
bar, so they had to stay. 

Two of the mates on the ship, named Mr. 
Coolidge and Mr. Haswell, said, “ It is good 
for ns to be on shore all we can, so let us take 
some of the men and go on shore and cut some 
grass for the cattle on the ship.” 

They took seven men and went on shore. 
The Indians gathered about them. Some 
danced a war dance for them ; some showed 
how straight they could shoot with their bows 
and arrows ; and others how well they could 
throw their spears. They even asked the 
white men to come into their houses. 

But while the sailors were cutting grass one 
of them, a boy named Martin Lopez, left his 
cutlass a few moments. Before he could get 
back to it an Indian picked it up and ran off 
with it as fast as he could go with Lopez after 
him. 

The officers knew it would not be safe to 
have any trouble with the Indians, so they 
said to the chief, Bring our boy back to us 
unhurt and you may keep the cutlass, and we 
will pay you besides.” 


CAPTAIN GRAY’S FIGHT WITH INDIANS. 


THE STORY OF CAPTAIN GRAY. 165 

But the chief said, “ No, go and get him 
yourself.” 

The two officers and one of the men went 
quickly after Lopez and soon came upon him. 
He had caught the thief but was surrounded 
by Indians. 

As the officers came up some of the Indians 
rushed at the boy with their knives and others 
shot arrows into him and he fell dead. Then 
they turned and attacked the three others. 

The white men started to run to their ships 
but met the chief and the rest of the Indians 
coming to help kill them. 

There they were with Indians in front of 
them and Indians behind them. They 
thought they must surely all be killed. But 
they drew their pistols and began shooting, 
one firing at those in front and another at 
those behind while the Indians rained arrows 
on them. 

They had soon killed several Indians and so 
frightened the others that they drew off a 
little, and the men reached the shore. 

All wounded and bleeding they waded to 
their boat and began pulling for the ship with 


i66 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


all their might. The Indians jumped into 
their canoes and chased them. But the men 
reached the ship in safety. 

A few shots from the cannon on the ship 
drove the savages back, but all night long 
they kept up their howling and whooping on 
the shore. 

For two days the tide was too low to carry 
the ship over the bar, but at last it came in 
strong and the Lady Washington sailed 
out of the bay. They named this bay 
Murderer' s Harbor^ and glad indeed they 
were to leave it. 


III. 

TRADING. 

For about half the year in the Northwest it 
is so cold and stormy that ships cannot sail 
about in safety. As it was now September the 
cold weather was about to set in, so Gray sailed 
his ship into Nootka Sound. 

He stayed there until spring came and very 


THE STORY OF CAPTAIN GRAY. 167 

dreary it was, I can tell you, with nothing but 
ice and snow and storms. 

In March he sailed up the coast for Clay- 
oquot, but he found he had ventured out too 
soon. 

A great storm came up and a fierce wind 
drove the Lady Washington straight up on 
the shore. They now thought all was lost, 
but they worked hard aud in a short time the 
brave little ship was floated again. 

The men said, “Let us go back to Nootka.’’ 

Gray said, “ Yes, that is the best thing to 
do.” 

So they sailed back. But they soon ven- 
tured out again. And all summer long they 
sailed up and down the coast looking at the 
country and trading hatchets and other things 
for furs whenever they met any Indians. 

Once they met some Indians who gave 
them two hundred beautiful skins for an old 
iron chisel. The skins were worth eight thou- 
sand dollars. 

By this time two years had passed, and they 
had so many skins it was time to go to China 
to sell them. So Gray met Captain Kendrick 



CAPT. GRAY ENTERING THE COLUMBIA. 



THE STORY OF CAPTAIN GRAY. 169 

and they put all the skins from the Lady 
Washington on board the Columbia. Then 
the two captains changed ships ; Kendrick 
took the Lady Washington, while Gray took 
the Columbia and went to China. 

He sold all the skins in Canton, and then 
sailed on around the world home to Boston. 


IV. 

TO NOOTKA AGAIN. 

When the six merchants heard all Gray had 
to tell them of the strange Northwest and saw 
the money he had got for his skins, they said 
to him, “Go back, again, and see if you can- 
not do still better.” 

So Gray fitted out the Columbia again and 
once more sailed for the Pacific. He sailed 
first to Nootka, and then, so he writes in his 
book, “ I sailed up the coast, stopping here 
and there, sometimes a week, sometimes 
longer, sometimes not so long.” 

But storms came on again and a great wind 


170 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 

drove them south. He anchored the Columbia 
close to the shore and went into winter quar- 
ters near the Indian village of Opitseta. He 
built a log house not far from the water and 
most of the men lived there on shore. 

Gray said to his men, “ We are going to be 
here all winter, so I think we will build a 
ship.” 

So the men cut down great trees and hewed 
out planks and began building a ship. 

The Indians were very friendly, and all 
went well until February. Then an Indian 
boy who worked for Gray came to him in great 
fear and said, “Captain, the Indians have 
planned to kill you all and take the ship. To- 
morrow night they want me to wet all the 
guns so you can’t shoot them. They will not 
leave one of you alive. They are going to 
meet in the woods near by.” 

Gray told his men the plan of the Indians. 
They moved the ship to a safer place and then 
did everything they could to make themselves 
safe. 

When it grew dark, they fired the cannon 
into the woods, and the Indians went away. 


THE STORY OF CAPTAIN GRAY. 171 

But no man slept that night. In a few days 
the new ship was finished and they sailed 


THE GREAT LONG RIVER. 

For several months they sailed slowly on. 
One day in May, Gray looked off toward the 
land and saw a long line of white foam. Then 
he looked at the water through which the ship 
was sailing and saw it looked clearer than 
ocean water, and ran with a strong current. 

He said to the men, “ I believe that white 
foam marks the mouth of a river. I am going 
to sail in and see.” 

For nine days he tried to cross the bar, but 
the water ran so strong that the ship could 
not sail against it. But at last he sailed in. 
His guess was true ; he found a mighty river. 

He said, “ this great river and all the 
land it drains shall belong to the United 
States, and in honor of our brave ship we will 
call it the Columbia!''' 

Then he spread sail and went up the river 


172 


WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 


about twenty miles. He stayed there three 
days trading with the Indians and loading his 
ship with fresh water from the Columbia. 
Then he came back, but it was a week before 
he got his ship over the bar and once more 
into the ocean. 

As he sailed down the coast his ship struck 
a rock and began to leak, but he got safely to 
Nootka, there he told them all about the 
great Columbia River. 

When his ship was mended he sailed off to 
China to sell his furs. From there he went 
on around the world and once more off home 
to Boston. 


BIvACKBOARO WORDS. 


Mer chants 
sur round ed 
hewed 
whoop ing: 
cut lass 


cop per 
quar ters 
cur rent 
veil tured 
fierce 



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